The Search
by Gary Wayne Reed Jr
Summary: Pics up where the manga left off. I don't own HOTD or it's characters. Lemons in later chapters. Please review :D
1. Chapter 1

I got bored with the lack of Manga for Highschool of the Dead. My story takes place directly after the last printed version of the manga, as of 11/3/2011.

"We've got some company," Kohta said as they made their way down a side street near the blockade of furniture that had prevented Rei's mom from getting back to the other suriviors.

"Let's get moving," Takashi said, "Saeko, I guess you're still walkin' point."

The female Samurai nodded as she began to walk in front of the group, Kohta moving a few paces behind her close by was Saya, followed by Alice, Ms. Shizuka and Kiriko, with Rei and Takashi holding the rear.

"I'm glad we found you mom okay," Takashi said to Rei as they began navigating the winding alleys in the rain.

"Thanks! It's really good to see her," Rei said beaming at Takashi.

"It's good to see her, gives me hope of maybe finding my mom alive at the school," Takshi said watching his surroundings, and giving Saeko directions when they either came to an impasse or an intersection.

"I'm sure we will," Rei said concern tinging her voice.

Takashi nodded, being able to find little comfort in her words. "Getting there is going to be the tricky part. Do you think we should go through the park on our way there? It's kinda small, and it's got the one water-fountain, but it's really open. It'll give us a good idea of what roads to take to get to the school, what with it being on a hill and all."

Rei nodded her approval. "Yeah, it's not far from here either."

"Hold down the rear for a sec," Takashi said moving up the line toward Saeko.

"Hey Saeko," Takashi said falling in step beside the swords woman.

"Yo," she said moving her parasol a bit over Takashi to extend a little extra shelter from the rain.

"Listen, we're gonna want to take a left at Peace street, and head up the hill to the old park. It's really open and overlooks a good bit of the town. We can get some bearing before we make our way to the school. Help us pick our path, so to speak."

"Gotcha," Saeko said winking at Takashi. "It's good for a man to look before he leaps," she said with a smile.

Takshi nodded, a small rosiness forming on his cheeks and made his way back to Kouta and Saya. "Gonna take a small detour. Get our bearings better," he said falling next to the gun-freak and the self-proclaimed genius.

"Good idea," Kohta said the evidence of his combat fatigue still evident.

Takashi nodded and lost a step to look at Saya and mouthed, "watch him."

Saya nodded. "It's about time you thought of something useful," she said in her usual catty manner.

"Yeah, for a genius, I don't see you coming up with much," Takashi said catching her small fist on the bicep. "Hey now, just jokin'," he said in a playful manner, trying to lighten the mood around Kohta.

As Takashi fell back again, he merely patted Alice on the head before heading back to Rei, unwilling to leave her alone to guard the rear.

"How's Kohta," Rei asked.

"Still a little rough," Takashi said adjusting the Benelli's strap a bit.

"I see. I hope we can get some rest or something, that may help a bit," Rei said looking for a bright side. "Maybe my dad can help. I'm sure he knows something about it."

"Yeah, I hope so. Kohta's a good guy, dead walking or not i'd really hate to lose him," Takashi said as they they turned left at Peace street, now climing up a fairly steep hill.

"Ms. Shizuka may think of something," Rei said patting Takashi on the arm.

"Yeah, and maybe we'll grow a set of wings soon," Takashi said laughing.

"Good point," Rei laughed.

_It's good to see her in such a good mood again,_ Takashi thought to himself. _She took Hisashi's death so hard... Well, so did I_, he thought to himself thinking of the guilt and the pleasure he had felt at killing his best friend.

It wasn't that Takashi had felt bad about the necessity of killing Hisashi, he was already dead, it had been the fact that he had enjoyed doing, just for a second. The man who stole his girl away.. Mr. Perfect... Whenever it was brought up, he was nearly overcome with grief and guilt. It was why he tended to snap at Rei...

Moreover, Takashi was confused about his feelings for Saeko as well. With all this idle time, just watching his surroundings, checking on the group, and keeping everyone moving, it left a lot of time for thought. Scenarios ran through his head like a track runner in a marathon. He'd even had a nightmare recently where he'd had to make a choice between saving Saeko and Rei, on or the other. That dream had nearly broken him. It was just by sheer willpower that he hadn't cracked.

Saeko led the group upwards until they made it nearer the hill's crest, an open gate before them, to which the park lay within. Takashi had been right, there was no cover, and it was completely open, some playground equipment was scattered about, and a fountain lay within its center. Leaning up agains the fountain, was a woman smoking some kind of cigarette.

"Got a live one in there with some kind of rifle in a military get-up," Saeko said as the group congregated around her.

Peeking around the gate-post, Ms. Shizuka squealed in delight. "Rika," she said bouncing her way through the gate toward the dark haired soldier resting at her ease in the park.

Saeko laughed to herself. "Well, I guess we found her friend," she said laughing all the while.

"At least that one looks smarter," Saya said crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

"Sensei finally found her friend," Alice said chiming in cheerily.

"That's right little Sis," Kohta said cheerily, cheerily enough that at least Alice wouldn't be able to tell it was merely feigned.

Saeko met Takashi's eyes for a moment and she knew what they were saying. "That's a hornet's nest we'll have to deal with soon," and Saeko agreed with his eyes.

"Right, but shouldn't we at least make our introductions to Sensei's friend, that is, before Sensei's smothers her with tit," Saeko said trying to lighten the mood.

"I agree, " Kiriko, Rei's mother, said cheerily. "Well, with this open area, they won't be able to come at us without ample warning, and it's easy to get out of here. Might as well take a short break."

Takashi nodded.

"You're going to choke me with those thing," Rika said hugging her friend tightly despite her own voiced protests.

"Rika, I'm sorry. It's good to see you," Shizuka said finally disentangling themselves, which lead the bouncing of breasts of epic proportions.

"S'ok, sweetie. I see you've brought friends," she said indicating the Shizuka should introduce them.

After the introductions were over, they gathered by the fountain, and began to exchange stories of survival, good natured jokes, and enjoyed a small snack.

Leaning over, Rika caught Shizuka's attention and began to whipser. "What's wrong with the boy with glasses, the one with my AR-10?"

Recognizing the need for the whipser, Shizuka related the story of the young police woman, the events that had transpired. "The combat-fatigue is really getting to him," Shizuka finished.

"Doesn't sound like combat-fatigue,it sounds more like P.T.S.D. or shell-shock," Rika said watching the young man carefully.

Kohta was occupying himself with Alice in his lap, happily playing some child's game with her, Saya still carefully watching him.

Saeko, Takashi, Rei, and Kiriko moved up hearing some of the conversation.

"Is there anything we can do to help him," Takashi asked.

"Rest is the best thing," Rika said taking a drag from one of her miniature cigars, "but some people never recover from shell-shock. It's broken many a good soldier, and he's still young. He hasn't had much experience with this kind of thing, so it's very hard on him. Only time can tell," Rika said finishing her cigarillo.

"That's not good news," Saeko said glancing over her shoulder. "He's been keeping us alive, being the only one with any real experience with firearms. Maybe once we get to Shintoko 3rd, he can get some rest there."

"That would be best," Rika agreed. "I've been out of contact with the SDF for a bit, now, but last I heard, they were still evacuating from there, though there seemed to be some problems with it..."

"That's not surprising," Kiriko said. "People always panic, and crack under strain, and this is some serious strain. No telling what kind of crap the SDF and the police are having to put up with there."

"Anyway, Rei, Saeko, could you check our supplies, I'll check with Kohta to see how the situation is for ammo," Takashi said moving away form the group, as Rei and Saeko began to check on their food and miscellaneous supplies.

"I'd better go with him," Rika said following the teenager away.

"Some friend you got there," Kiriko said to Ms. Shizuka.

"Yeah, we've known each other for a really long time. And we've always been there for each other as long as i can remember.

"Oh yeah," Kiriko said with a sly smile on her face.

"Well, you see, yes and no," Shizuka said laughing.

"It's okay, I was the leader of an all female gang in my youth, there was a time I detested men," Kiriko said with a wink.

"Well," Shizuka said blushing, "We do have that relationship, but we both also date men. It's just that when things go bad, we always find ourselves back together. Kinda like our own little broken-heart's club," she said still blushing furiously, and biting the back of her thumb in embarrassment.

"Make sense," Kiriko said laughing. "I was much the same way till I found my Takashi," she said laughing.

"Hey, Kohta, how are we for ammo," Takashi asked picking Alice up from Kohta's lap and sitting her astride on his shoulders, much to her great delight.

"Well, got about two-and-a-half mags left for my Ar-10, three for Rei's Springfield, a single magazine left for the MP5 saya's got, the luger's got a 25 round drum on it just about full, and Saeko and Ms. Kiriko have yet to fire their pistols, so they've got one mag apiece. How much ammo, do you have left for the Benelli," Kohta asked.

"What's left in it, and about one more reload's worth," Takashi said exasperated.

"I've got about 200 rounds of 7.62 spare in my pack, that will fill up the magazines on the Sprinfield and AR," Rika said kneeling and beginning to pull the ammunition from her pack.

"That'll help, but we'll still want to avoid as much fighting as we can," Kohta nodded. "Give me and Rei about five extra magazines apiece, but we don't know when we'll be able to find more, so we should conserve it as much as possible."

"Good analysis," Rika said hefting her silenced bolt-action rifle. "I've got about ten reloads for this just on me. If we need to clear some out, I can reach out and touch them, and it'll cut down on the noise some. But you're right, until we find a reliable source of weapons and ammunition, we'll conserve, fighting as little as possible. We might be able to get resupplied at Shintoko, with my influence, but I'm sure they'll be needing it as well."

"Chances are," Rika continued, "since you're civilians they may confiscate your weapons at the elementary."

"Yeah," Kohta said with a sigh. "They'll probably disarm most everyone not a soldier to better be able to maintain the discipline until they can get a good evacuation plan in place."

"Right," Takashi said a little put off. They'd earned this fucking guns. "We should get moving soon. Ante up," he called out to everyone, giving the signal they were about to move on.

Stepping up to Shizuka, Rika nodded at Takashi. "Kid's got some balls, ain't he?"

Blushing from their time on the motorcycle in route to Rika's place, Shizuka nodded. "Yeah."

As they moved up toward an intersection, Takashi heard the report of a gun and incredibly close. Even as he took a step to the side, and prepared to raise his own weapon, he found that his foot wasn't where he had thought it would be, and fell to the ground, his vision going out.

"Takashi," Rei cried, as she fell to the ground next to Takashi. It was then that she noticed the blood coming from his side. "Takashi's been shot," Rei said looking back toward the rest of the group, and was shocked by what she saw.

"Move and I'll cut her ear to ear," came a nasaly voice from behind Alice, the man using her as a shield.

A few other men came from hiding, one of them holding a revolver, it being the only one present Rika could only assume that had been the man to shoot Takashi from hiding.

"Drop your weapons, and the rest of your shit on the ground," came the nasal voice again.

Rei placed her rifle on the ground, and then noticed Saeko on the ground, the round that had passed through Takshi had embedded itself into her leg.

The other soon followed suit and began to place weapons, and the rest of their gear on the ground.

"Such big men, aren't you," Rika said defiantly, "hiding behind a child."

A big man then back-handed Rika hard, her head whipping back as the muzzle of the gun cut her cheek.

It was then that they heard some sort of hollow pop, and the man with the revolver fell to the ground, blood running from the hole in his forehead.

It would have been comical, but the strange sound came again and again, in rapid succession until only the man holding a blade to Alice's throat was left.

Everyone picked up their weapons and held them at the ready, a stand off apparent.

Kohta heard a scraping sound from a walled house to their left as and readied his weapons as a man slipped out of a tree to stand on the wall a silenced MP5, Kohta suspected, held in his hands.

"Anyone got a shot on that prick," he said hopping down from the wall, nodding to the kidnapper.

"Bad angle," Rika said slinging her rifle and drawing her pistol.

"Not much fo one," Kohta said his teeth being audibly ground.

The hulk of a man merely raised his and let out part of a breath as he fired once more, the shot, to Kohta and Rika's ears, sounding suspiciously quiet for a 9mm.

Blood spurted from the man's groin, as the knife fell from nerveless fingers. Alice, tears running down her face and a cry from her little throat ran over to Rei and Saeko, who were hovering over the wounded Takashi.

The man, screaming in agony, made to scrabble away on his hands, his small form making good time all the while leaving a blood trail down the street.

The big man with the supressed weapon fired once more, and the screaming man halted in his attempted escape.

It was then that Rika noticed him. He wasn't Japanese, he looked like an American, perhaps even Irish, he wore a tactical vest, black tactical clothing, and had two tomohawks hanging one on each hip.

"Name's Reed," he said as he let his weapon hang on its sling drawing one of his military-style tomohawks and advancing on the screaming man.

Reed merely stepped down on the man's back, causing his scream to change in pitch, and sunk the tomohawk deeply into his head. "Piece of shit," Reed said pulling his weapon from the bandit's skull with a sickening crunch.

Shizuka was in the process of checking Takashi's wound, trying to keep an eye on both him and Saeko.

Rika pointed her pistol at Reed. "Your timing seems a bit convenient."

Reed merely shrugged, slowly placing his tomahawk back into the ring at his hip, reaching slowly into a pants pocket, he pulled out a picture. "Someone I was told to look for was here," he said offering out the picture.

Kohta, while Rika kept him covered, moved up and took the picture.

"It's a picture of Rei and her parents," he said dumfounded.

"God damn cop's been driving me batty. Won't let me go scrounge for anything without that shit. He's holed up in my place, and it seems we need to get your wounded there," Reed said holding up his arms, indicating Kohta should take his weapons, just in case.

Now unarmed, Reed, regardless of the weapons pointed in his direction, nodded to Kiriko. "Your husband's safe. I'll take you to him, but we these kids can't walk."

Shizuka, now checking on Saeko's leg. "There both okay for the most part. Takashi's wound is clean through on his left side, it broke some ribs, but didn't hit anything vital or pierce his air cavity. Saeko's not gonna be able to walk well for about a week, but the bullet just tore a little muscle and went out," the buxom nurse announced to the group.

"I can carry them," Reed said, lifting Takashi up beneath his right arm, and grabbing Saeko not to kindly and flinging her over his left shoulder.

"I own the old mansion just around the hill," he said nodding towards Kiriko.

"Lead on, Yankee," Kiriko said holding Reed's own weapon at his back.


	2. Chapter 2

"He's late," Tadashi said pacing back and forth across the porch of the Victorian styled three story mansion. The surrounding ten foot tall, two foot thick brick wall was comforting, as was the massive and heavy wrought iron gate, whose ornate design didn't appear to weaken it, just merely strengthen it in a quite profound way. He had learned Reed had made it himself. It wasn't those useful things about Reed he had learned that bothered him, but some of the other things...

"You worry too much," came the cheery reply of the American sitting on the porch, lounging in a rocking chair, an english sword across his lap. The man stood about Tadashi's height, with beard and long hair, but Tadashi couldn't get beyond the fact the man was wearing some kind of leather armor. It was based off a medieval design, and was claimed to be stronger than the boiled kind of its time, as well as being much quieter. You never even heard it creak.

"Brion, he's your "brother" as you've said. Can't you be worried for him? What if some fools have ambushed him," Tadashi asked finding his own concern for the criminal who had saved him comical inside.

"If they ambushed him, they'll probably all lying in pools of their own blood, dead or dying," the man said chewing on a scrap piece of leather. Tadashi noticed the man did it when he was anxious.

"I know you're nervous too..."

Brion eyed him carefully. "I'm sixteen years older than that man," he said carefully. "We're not actually related. But he's my brothert none-the-less. This armor i wear, we made together, to participate in a sportsman-like version of medieval combat. I've seen him throw men bigger than he like a ragdoll, and I've seen him shoot. If he's dead, he's lying on a heap of their bodies, and has sold himself dearly."

Tadashi nodded understanding the Ronin-like sentiment to an extent. He had practiced the spear long and hard.

"There's no more glorious death for one of the warrior's-skald. If he doesn't return, we'll find his body. I'm a bard at heart, and I'll compose a ballad of his valour that will be sung by the future survivors of this plague for generations," Brion said pillowing his head on his hands. "I'll miss him dearly, but there's no need to worry, Mr. Miyamoto. We're all born to die."

"I should have went with him," Tadashi said shaking his head sadly.

Brion laughed and eyed him from his chair. "Why do you think he sends us out together? He's more worried about us old farts than he is himself. When he was teaching me how to hunt and stalk game, back in West Virginia, I once saw him stalk and kill a deer with only a knife. He's kind of like a wolf in this world... That's why he left the police, and went to a life of crime," he said sadly.

"He really is a good man," Tadashi said finding the words hard to come from his mouth. "He saved me when things got hairy. And he's always been honest with me. I suppose as an ally would go, he's a valuable one to have."

The middle-aged American chuckled good naturedly. "And a dangerous enemy. That's probably the only reason he's survived for so long."

Tadashi was about to suggest that they should make more tea, when he saw a group of people coming up the lane, a big man carrying two limp forms.

"Trouble," Tadashi said, picking up his new assault rifle on loan to him from Reed.

Brion eased his sword in his sheath and set it upon his hip, and picked up his matching rifle to Tadashi's. "He brought back wounded," he said making his way to the gate and unlocking it.

Tadashi barely heard a word, there, carrying an assault weapon, was his wife Kiriko, and beside her was his only daughter Rei.

"Tearful reunions gotta wait old man," Reed said carrying two wounded kids.

Tadashi recognized one of them as Takashi, and a girl who had a leg wound, and didn't look pleased at being hauled around at all.

"Brion went inside to get some things ready," Tadashi said his eyes riveted on the two girls behind the hulking American.

As Reed carried the wounded kids inside, his daughter and his wife collapsed into his waiting arms, just as he had prayed would happen since this all began.

Kohta bumped Saya in the arm. "That's a sigiht for sore eyes," he said his smile seeming actually genuine.

"Yeah, it really is," she said, remembering how relieved she had been when discovering her parents had been alive and well. She was sure they still were. Her father was like a demon with his sword, and his mother was a top-shot. And they had the added help of the retainers that had been looking after them since Saya could remeber.

"Come one, Otaku, let's get everything taken care of," Saya said elbowing him with gusto.

"Hai," he said serreptituiously rubbing his side.

Rika, who was now holding the drag of the group, secured the gates, and ushered the reuinted family into the large mansion.

"Careful," Shizuka said indicating the door Reed had just kicked open as he gently placed the wounded Takashi on a large king sized bed, and the less wounded Saeko, on an adjacent couch with her wounded leg facing outside.

"Why," Reed asked, "it's my house."

"Oh," the buxom nurse said thoughtfully.

"Brion," Reed said calling over his shoulder at the door, and, as if by magic, the middle-aged warrior came in with a few bags with a red-cross symbol on their side.

"Sup bro," he said setting the bags down and beginning to remove his armor.

"Two shots. One in the side, the other in the leg. Ms. Parton here is a pretty good nurse, but see if you can't help out," Reed said indicating Ms. Shizuka.

"Who's Ms. Parton," Shizuka asked curiously.

"Private joke," Reed said shaking his head, and exiting the room.

"Well," Brion said, "let's get these kids patched up," he said half smiling half oggling Shizuka's emdowment of breastage.

Reed has just started down the hallway, when he was assaulted in the knee-region by a pink-headed midget. "Thank you, for saving me," she said her eyes tearful. "And for getting rid of those bad men."

Reed was taken aback, most children would be shocked by seeing so much death, but, he supposed, since this started everyone had seen their share of death. He patted her on the head. "Come on, why don't we get that little dog following you something to eat. He looks starved," he said pointing the the yippy little pup.

"I bet he is," Alice said, her tears forgotten and her concern piqued toward the small canine.

The Miyamoto family had located to a private room for their joyful reunion, so the main living room/joining kitchen area was occupied by Saya, Rika, Kohta, and now joined by Alice, Zeke, and Reed.

As Reed searched the cabinets and found a can of alpo, which he let alice open and place into a bowl for the small dog, Kohta came over to where he stood, watching Alice feed the small dog.

"Thanks," Kohta said shakily.

"For what," Reed said curiously.

"Saving our asses," Kohta said now with more resolve.

"Indeed," Rika said moving over to them, just being out of earshot of Alice. "Most impressive."

Reed looked back at them with a blank stare. "Bad enough with the dead walkin' around, no need to add more crap into the mix like those bastards were. Hate it when people use kids as a shield," he said turning away, and moving towards the back of the house.

"Well he's a cuddly one," Rika said jokingly.

"Yeah... " Kohta said dejectedly.

"What are you relaxing for," Rika said glaring at Kohta. "You're supposed to be taking care of my guns. And you're going to clean every one I find, until I feel like I can eat off of it," she said menacingly to the young Kohta.

"Yes ma'am," Kohta said with a salute and moving off to carry out her orders.

Saya had also neared and was glaring at Rika with menacing eyes. "We've got to keep him busy," Rika said explaining. "If we let him think too much, he may crack further. So the best thing for us to do, is keep his mind off of his troubles. Keep him occupied. That's about as far as my expertise on P.T.S.D. goes."

Looking abashed Saya nodded. "I feel bad for being so awful to him. He's done nothing but be kind to us, and help protect us since this all started. He's quite capable too," Saya said color coming to her cheeks.

Rika nodded understanding the situation. "One dilligent man is worth ten pretty ones," she said moving out the back door of the kitchen, checking the premesis.

Saya, her blush deepening to a sever crimson, mulled these words. She still kind of liked Takashi, but Kohta... he was something new. Something unkown...Something arousing.

Saya huffed, and moved over to check on Alice briefly, before taking her usual place near the dilligent Kohta.

As his daughter finished telling him of the story of her escape and survival, Tadashi beamed with pride. She had used the things he had taught her to survive. Tadashi swelled with fatherly pride at being one of those fathers that actually teach their daughters something she would listen to.

Tadashi's wife's story also made him happy, he was just glad to have them both back alive. Even though Takashi and the other girl were wounded, the worry about his own family having been pushed back for so long, Tadashi could find no room in his heart for them at that moment. It just felt good to have the things that were truly important to him back.

"Why aren't you at Shintoko 3rd, dad," Rei asked curiously.

"I'd better explain that once everyone is together," Tadashi said sadly.

Kiriko placed her hand upon her husband's understanding the sorrow in his voice.

"Rei," Tadashi said sadly. "Takashi's mother was killed there during a riot," he said not holding back. "No doubt he'll take it hard, but you'll need to be there for him," he said sadly.

Placing her hand over her mouth, and horror filling her eyes along with tears, Rei gasped. "No... Oh no..."

Hugging her daughter, Kiriko said softly. "It's okay to cry now, dear, because when Takashi finds out, someone's got to be there for him. Someone close to him needs to be strong when he can't."

Nodding into her mother's chest, Rei's tears flowed freely.

Taking off his bloody attire, Reed felt slightly refreshed. _Well, I found the old-man's family..._he thought to himself. Stepping from his wardrobe the the attached bathroom he stepped into the shower, and turned the handle. "The water's still on," he said to himself finding some form of hope for the future.

Reed knew he'd have to explain to the newcomers more about why his water was still hot, more than just the propane heater the moderated it, but as to why the electricity was still on in his home.

As he washed the dried blood that had seeped through his clothing off his skin, he sighed in relief. Maybe the old-man would take his side a bit, since this was after all, the end of the world.

He turned up the heat of the water until it was nearly blistering, and looked at his hands. "It's not there, but it never really washes away, does it," he said sadly to himself.

After scrubbing himself far more than needed, he turned off the water, exited the shower, and dried himself.

_Perhaps that this is a ritzy place may soften the blow of what I am a bit,_ Reed thought to himself while dressing, placing on his favorite pajama pants, and a wife-beater shirt. He didn't really care that the polar-bears printed on thei pants made him look rediculous, he was comfortable.

"It is my damn house after all, I'll fuckin' go nude if I want to," he said laughing to himself.

After stretching for a moment to work the soreness from his body, Reed made his way downstairs.

Coming down the stair case, Reed saw that the Miyamotoes were still cloistered in a guest, room, his brother and the nurse were still caring for the injured, Saya was still hovering over Kohta, Alice and Zeke were sleeping in a ches lounge near the fireplace, and Rika was sitting in a sun chair out back smoking.

"Kohta," Reed said, "I need you and...Saya there to gather up the firearms you all have and follow me to my workshop. See how much ammunition I've got for em', or whether it's time for a trade in."

"Sure," Kohta said handing Reed back his SMG. "I've never seen an MP5 in 45 caliber. No wonder it was so quiet when you fired it," he said smiling.

"Yeah, regular .45 ammo is really close to sub-sonic, so more boom, for less boom," Reed joked causing Kohta to laugh uproariously.

"What's so funny," Saya asked feeling left out to the joke.

"Well, sonic, means that it's about the speed of sound. A .45 is a hefty round, but slow, so with a silencer, it's more power with less sound. More boom, with less boom," Kohta explained.

"...that's not funny," Saya said finally understanding.

"That's because you've got no sense of humor," Reed said leading the two teens to a room at the back of the stairs. He kicked back some of the carpeting to reavel a large door built into the floor with a staircase descending it, very well lit.

At the teen's questioning looks, Reed replied, "Was a bombshelter built by some crazy dude. I've repurposed it as my workshop and storage. I know you've noticed i've still got lights. I've got a diesel run generator down there, with an underground 1000 gallon tank. The shelter was shielded against the EMP, so i've still got power going."

"Nice," Kohta said excited.

"You must have been wealthy," Saya said looking at him. "This house is pretty ritzy, and those things aren't cheap either," she said indicating the generator and fuel tank.

"Yakuza paid me well," he said heading down the stairs.

Saya had a shocked look on her face, but Kohta's was less concerned and more excited.

"He's a criminal," Saya asked Kohta uncertainly.

"He was. World kinda went to hell," Kohta answered her, and showed her Saeko's pistol in the back of his waist-bank. "Seems like a nice guy, but just in case," he winked at her.

Saya was surprised to find herself blushing as she followed Kohta down in the bomb-shelter.

Reed flipped on the lights at the bottom of the steep staircase, and indicated a bench for the teens to lay the guns on. "Problem I forsee," Reed said, "is you've got a lot of mis-matched calibers, and incompatible magazines. Makes it hard to tote ammo. Someone runs dry, you've got to transfer ammo from one magazine to another, right?"

"Yeah, but the good weapons with compatible magazines are mostly illegal in Japan. I understand if we could raid a military base or..." Kohta said trailing off, as Reed flipped on a light that came on behind a wire cage.

"Holy shit," Saya finished for him.

"This looks almost identical to that scene from that move about the relgious freak brothers that kill gangsters," Kohta said indicating the cage.

"My shit's better than any of the Boondock Saint stuff," Reed said unlocking the cage with a key hanging on a peg fromt he wall.

As Kohta followed Reed into the cage, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt, that with this armory illegally funded by the gangsters who were most likely now walking around dead, he could seize power from a small country.

"Wow, is he gonna be okay," Reed asked Saya. "He's drooling."

"I have no clue... I already hit him and he hasn't snapped out of it yet," Saya replied a little let down.

"Show him your boobs or something. He's freakin' me out," Reed lauged jokingly.

"Saya's wha..." Kohta said snapping back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna let you use any of em' if you drool on em'," Reed said pulling some of the weapons from the shelves even as Saya pelted him with tiny fists.

"Those are... Those are MK 16's! That's the new assault rifle of S.! Wow," Kohta said as Reed handed him one of them to check over.

"That one is your's," Reed said turning back to his work.

"What's an MK 16," Saya asked, her curiousity piqued. "You're even more excited about it than you were all of Rika's guns..."

"The MK 16 is a selective-fire 5.56x45mm NATO rifle with both full and semi-automatic capability using a short stroke gas piston system. Three interchangeable barrels can be switched by the individual operator in just minutes for CQC, tactical and precision fire roles. Completely ambidextrous with a fully free-floating barrel, multiple integral MIL-STD 1913 mounting rails and a telescoping, folding stock with adjustable cheekpiece, the MK 16 represents the most innovative and adaptable individual combat rifle ever conceived," Kohta finished as his breath left him and he fought to draw another in excitement.

"They also accept regular AR-style magazines. These are chambered in 5.56 nato, or .223 Remington. They're accurate out to 450 yards with a steady hand using only the iron sights. With a scope, the range is very substantial. I figure it's best to go with capacity, as only headshots kill THEM and we want to have the capacity to take out as many as possible. They're also all threaded for silencers, which I have one for each rifle," Reed said explaining to the teens.

"Got any people can't shoot well," Reed asked the teens.

"Takashi does okay with a shotgun, and Rei prefers to use the bayonet, but with a little guidance, I'm sure Rei could handle a firearm fine," Kohta said. "It's be easier if we had some reticle sights... Saya does pretty well though, but she's only fired a gun a few times."

"I've got some Meprolight sights for most of these. They dont' run on batteries, and maybe one or two Trijicons, but i'll leave them for the advanced shooters. And a few magnifiers for the holo sights. Now about your bad shooter," Reed said moving over to a box lying on the corner.

Saya watched as he unlocked it and picked up something that looked like a laster gun from a bad anime. As she looked at Kohta, she saw nothing but pure awe in his eyes.

"Those are even illegal for Americans to have, aren't they," Kohta asked.

"Looks like a laser gun from a manga, or something," Saya stated. She was a little in awe of the weapon herself being that Kohta had such a reaction to it.

"That's an AA-12, built in America, and really only available to the American Military. It's a drum/magazine fed shotgun, fully-automatic. The drum holds twenty rounds of 3" magnum twelve guage buckshot, or it can fire small grenades made especially for the military," Kohta said as Reed handed him the weapon for him to look over.

"That thing can fire grenades," Saya asked now comprehending how many life-sentences someone in Japan would receive just for having one.

"Don't have the incendiary rounds for it," Reed said, "but I've got a stock of the ammunition for it. 3" magnum 00 buckshot. Nine .38 calibers round fly down range every time that weapon fires. If we get into a really bad situation, due to the reduction in recoil, our bad shot can just hold it at their neck level and mow a mob of them down. Downside, only two drums, so after flinging 40 shells, or the equivalent of 360 9mm rds out, he has to reload the drums from box ammo. It takes four boxes of ammunition per drum too."

"Why don't we all just carry them," Saya asked. "We could probably clear out anything in our path."

"Battle all about precision, though this weapon is awesome. It's really loud, so it'll draw attention to us, and there isn't a working silencer for shotguns, that has any real effect regardless of what you saw in that movie with the big guy and the crappy ending," Kohta said.

"So it's kind of an oh shit type of thing, right," Saya asked.

"Hai," Kohta said cheerily.

"The thing about working for the Yakuza, making sure their guns are right, I've got to test them in some way. I was a really big investment for the gangsters. There's no way to do proper tests with illegal weaponry in Japan, unless the weapons are stored somwehere they're not really handy when they need them," Reed said opening a huge door in the wall.

"This house was chosen for the undergroudn bomb-shelter and living area. So we turned the living area into a sound dampened firing range, being that it's all by itself out here, with few other homes around it. We can have you guys get in a little target practice, one at a time, so no one will be useless," Reed said to the teens.

"I see that one girl uses a sword, which makes sense in our situation. But if we have to move before her leg is healed, we're gonna want her to have some kind of proficiency with a firearm. Maybe some with the kid that can't shoot too. I'd really like for everyone we CAN to be armed," Reed said to the young couple.

"Wow, seems the Yakuza started hiring someone with some intelligence," Saya said nodding her approval. "Does Rei's dad know," she asked.

"He's carrying a silenced assault rifle isn't he," Kohta asked.

"He is..." Saya said nodding.

"I don't have anything against any of the police. Or really anybody at all. I told him the truth, because, at the time, he needed to know who I was. He was tryin' to go to a police station to hole up," Reed said. "I felt my premises to be better equipped. No glass doors here," he said jokingly.

Kohta pointed to a running large refridgerator. "What's in there," he asked.

"My brother and I were able to clear out a supermarket before most of the lights went out. We stocked up with a lot of proteins and other perishables. We knew the shit had truly hit the fan, when we were watchign the television, and the thing went the slap out, even though we still had power," he said shaking his head.

"Seriously," Saya asked excitedly. "Nothing canned?"

"No. Take what you want, but I ain't cookin' no more," Reed said as he and Kohta broke down rifles and checked them.

"Neither am I," Rika said strolling down the staircase. "Seems the Yakuza started paying their gunsmiths awfully well."

"Never said I was just a gunsmith," Reed said continuing in his work. "But you can get off that fine ass and help us disassemble and reassemble these rifles. Here's a present, you look like a psycho bitch I trained with one time," he said tossing something to the female soldier.

"That's... an MK 13 mounted on a SSR SCAR..." Kohta said wondering if there was some history between the two of them. While Reed looked to be in his mid-twenties, Rika didn't look to be much older.

"Oh, so a high capacity, semi-auto sniper rifle with a new high performance grenade launcher mounted on it. Seems like something for a psycho-bitch," Rika said with a grin.

"Yeah, crazy bitch had a FCU attached to it that was compatible with low velocity grenades and mediums as well," Reed said finishing the assembly of another of the rifles, silencer and holographic sight attached.

"Sounds like a keeper," Rika said loading a magazine into the weapon, and placing on a bench next to her, where she sat and lit a cigarillo.

"Anyways, Saya," Reed said catching her attention. "Could you take some food upstairs and have someone start on something to eat. The wounded need it, and I'm sure everyone else will as well."

"I'm not an errand girl," Saya complained.

"Tits or get the fuck out," Reed said nonchalantly.

Saya swung her head to Rika. "I've got a rifle. But I've got no problem showing some tit," Rika said making to undo the velcro of her body armor.

Saya grabbed the bags of food she had been picking out for the last few minutes and practically ran up the stairs.

When she was out of earshot, Reed and Rika fell into a fit of laughter. It took Kohta a few seconds to realize they did know each other and had just played a personal joke on Saya.

"That wasn't very nice," Kohta said with a snicker.

"No, but it was funny," Rika said still laughing.

"What's eating you son," Reed asked his laughter gone.

"N-nothing," Kohta said.

"Horse-shit," Reed said.

"No one's told him," Rika said, "but he's been around long enough to know. That's something you just can't hide."

"Well...I'd rather not talk about it," Kohta said sadly.

"Then don't," Reed said.

"Huh," Kohta asked puzzled. Usually adults made you talk, whether you wanted to or not.

"I don't really care about what happened, it's different for everyone. But I'm assuming you've seen one too many friends die, or had to kill someone you didn't want to. You're not completely cracked yet, you're just really frayed, like a rope. And there's only three ways it turns out. You either repair of it what you can, and replace in that crack the things you hold dear to you, or you don't, and you go on a downward spiral. Previously those that spiraled never could function in society again. In these days, you'll get yourself, and probably some of your friends killed as well," Reed said simply.

"What's the third one," Kohta asked cautiously.

"You fill yourself with emptiness," Rika said. "You force yourself to stop caring completely. You hollow yourself until you become a shell of human. Sort of how the brain will put the body into a coma so damage can be more easily repaired. But the risks are the same as with the coma, you may never wake from this. You'll walk the earth as a shell of a man, and inside, become dead just like those things."

"So what should I do," Kohta asked, tears of frustration filling his eyes. "I don't know how to deal with this..."

"No one really does. But you love that pig-tail girl, right," Reed asked.

"Hai! Well..."

Rika laughed. "The first one was right. Just concentrate on protecting her, and your friends. Keep them close, and try to be a good friend to them. Don't dwell. Fill that crack with the things that matter in your life. She was a policewoman, right? She died protecting someone. If times were different, she'd be given a twenty-one gun salute. Respect her sacrifice for what it was," Rika said taking another draw from her cigarillo.

Kohta nodded tears falling from his eyes. "You have to do something, when someone asks you to, right," he asked.

"Yeah, kid," Reed said. "Go, give that pig-tail girl a hug, and tell her your sorry. Don't say anymore."

Kohta nodded as he ascended the stairs to house.

"You're going to get that kid beaten," Rika said exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Beaten or laid. The girl is worried about him. He comes to her for comfort, she'll feel endeared to him. The psyche of women is pretty predictible in its unpredictibility," Reed said shaking his head and lifting a box of ammunition, and a box of magazines to begin loading them all.

Saya found the Miyamotoes sitting in the living room, along with Ms. Shizuka, and Brion as she had heard him called. "Rei, got some food, want to give me a hand getting something started," Saya asked.

"Sure," Rei said beaming at the prospect of food. Once she had spotted the groceries bags she was practically drooling at the prospect of fresh food.

Kiriko as well, lent a hand, and soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of cooking food.

"Hey, Saya," Kohta said as he came into the kitchen.

"Figures you'd show up when there's food on the line," Saya jibed.

"Could I talk to you for a minute," Kohta asked his head down.

"S-sure," she said and followed Kohta down the hall into a private room.

"Oooooh. I see young love blossoming," Shizuka piped up.

"Shizuka, it's suprising you can see anything over your boobs," Brion said lying in the floor with his eyes closed.

"Shut up, Brion," she said sticking her tongue out at him. "Oh, where's Rika," she asked.

"Saya said she went down to the basment to talk to Reed," Kiriko said.

"The basement entrance is located in the room on the bottom floor beneath the staircase," Tadashi piped up.

"Thanks," Shizuka said getting up. "And it is good to see you again, Brion, it's been a long time."

"You too top-heavy," Brion said as Shizuka made her way down the hall.

"Give her a break," Tadashi said laughing. "You known her long?"

Kiriko and Rei came in from the kitchen to better...snoop.

"Rika, Shizuka, and my brother were...friends for a bit," Brion said.

Rei gasped, her cheeks going red.

"Hmmm," Tadashi said trying to act disinterested, but his mind working.

"Don't hmmm me," Kiriko said. "Stop trying to pry."

Brion shrugged on the floor. "No big deal. Shit happens." He yawned and rolled over on his side away from everyone like he was preparing to take a nap. "When it's in matters of the heart, everything is game."

Tadashi nodded, remembering some of the first experiences he'd ever had with his wife, but that was year before Rei had been born.

Feeling uncomfortable, Rei excused herself to go check on Saeko and Takashi.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Most of the next chapter will be lemons. If you don't like lemons, I will use opposing parenthesis at the beggining and end of the lemons, so you don't actually have to read them. I am a realist, and like to see the story as a whole, even the parts that aren't so pretty and clean. These are still parts of life, so I will represent them. But as I said you will easily be able to skip them. Ie

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

get it ( ) lemon.


	3. Chapter 3

( )

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about," Saya asked, as she closed the door behind her in a room where Kohta had led her to the second floor.

Kohta crossed the distance between them and swept her up into a fierce hug. "I'm sorry, Saya," he said holding her tightly.

Saya tried to protest, tried to yell at him, but all she could do was return his embrace, hugging him as fiercely as he was her. "It's okay," she said finding herself trembling. "I was scared I wouldn't get you back," she delivered in a trembling voice.

"I'm sorry," Kohta replied again holding her tightly still. His voice cracking, and Saya could feel his hot tears on her neck.

Saya was surprised at the strength in his arms, and exactly how firm and strong they were. Her breasts that were being smashed up against Kohta's chest, were against something quite firm. That firmness... it sent a thrill through Saya, a shiver that traveled up and down her spine, and she found that sensation quite pleasing.

Saya, unsure of her feeling and of Kohta's, merely held him until his tears ran dry, and his raised his face to her's and looked into her eyes. His eyes holding pain, and vulnerability meeting her's and waiting.

Saya knew they were waiting for acceptance, acceptance of his feelings for her, and her's for him. She wanted to look away, but found herself unable to do so, as if she were iron being drawn in by a lodestone, her lips gently found his in her first kiss.

Her eyes drifting closed lazily, Saya felt Kohta's unsure reaction to the kiss. He pressed gently against her lips, and his embrace became less fierce and more gentle. Her hands roamed over Kohta's body, finding soft plushy skin, with an unyielding firmness beneath it. These contrasting findings confused her, but excited her until a heat began to built up in her sex. On a natural impulse, she parted Kohta's lips with her tongue and slid it into his mouth bringing a whole new slew of sensations about. Her hips seemed to arch forward by themselves pressing her groin against Kohta's in a slow grind, that caused them both to moan against one another.

Saya felt the hardness growing between Kohta's legs, and she knew things were quickly spiraling from her control, a fact she liked to no end.

Kohta's hands began to roam up and down Saya's back, exploring, touching, until they finally ran over her ass over her skirt, soon, the shy Kohta was holding two handfuls of her behind, and she moaned into his mouth as her tongue began to push against his with little remorse. It was it their tongues were in a shoving match that swept from Kohta's mouth back to Saya's without reprieve.

Saya's own hands found Kohta's and moved them beneath her skirt, to grasp at her ass beneath the thing material of her skirt, then traveled up his arms and onto his chest where she began to yank open his shirt.

Their kiss finally being broken by the need for air, and their fashes flushed in breathlessness and arousal, Saya felt at Kohta's now bare chest. The muscles in his chest and shoulders astounded her. _He must lift weights or something,_ she thought to herself.

Smiling in mischief Saya pushed Kohta down to the floor, and settled herself astride his face a leg to each side.

Kohta could only wonder at this strange turn of events until something hot and we splashed on his face. He stared in wonder at Saya's panties, that were now so were so we they were beginning to drop her wetness upon his face.

Saya smiled, as she sat her still covered mount on Kohta's face and reveled in the sensation. Soon she was able to press the tip of his nose against her clit, and feel his breath on her sex, and she climaxed right away, reaching down and grabbing two handfuls of hair and grinding herself against his face.

As she rode the waves of her orgasm Saya sighed in pleasure, as she opened her blouse, and was surprised to find Kohta's hands already making their way to her ample breasts. She let out an involuntary moan as his hands began to massaged her breasts, and gently, twist and pull at her firm nipples. She raised up for a moment to pull her panties down her legs and hooked them between her knees, behind Kohta's head, and sat down on his face once more.

When his tongue met her clit, Saya felt as his her body were on fire at the sensation. The swirling stroking motion of his tongue on her clit made her cry out in pleasure, as she grabbed his head, and pulled it against her sex and began once more to grind on his face.

Saya was shocked, when Kohta pulled against her grasp, and his tongue slid from his clit to enter her. "Oh fuck," she cried out in extasy, feeling electricity climb her spine, and her chest fill with fire.

As the orgasm shook her, Saya screamed out Kohta's name, no longer caring if anyone in the house heard or not.

Standing up on shaky legs, Saya moved over to the door and locked it. Spying the box she was after, having fallen from Koht's jacket pocket, she picked up the box of condoms, and gave Kohta a sultry smile.

"Are you sure, Saya," Kohta asked nervously, the bulge in his pants betraying his concern.

"Shut up, idiot," Saya said as she yanked at Kohta's pants, until they were around his knees. Her own underwear still lying beneath Kohta's head, Saya pulled Kohta's down as well. After this, Saya had momentary second thoughts. It wasn't he length that bothered her, but it was so thick. Steeling her resolve she opened on of the packets, and rolled the condom down on Kohta's penis, though it was a fairly tight fit.

"Saya, I love you, you don't have to go this far," Kohta said.

Smiling sweetly as she turned around, Saya impaled herself upon Kohta crying as the pain from her broken hymen ran through her. "I love you too," she said smiling.

Kohta was apoplectic. They'd taken each other's virginity, but Saya was very excited, and he thought she was going to squeeze the blood from his penis. He raised his hands up, and took Saya's within them as he looked deeply within her eyes. "Are you okay, now," Kohta asked.

Saya rocked her hips, and nearly drooled. "Oh yeah," she said moving her hips experimentally, seeing how it affected her pleasure as well as Kohta's.

"Oh...wow," Kohta said gasping for breath.

Saya had heard most men who were virgins reached orgasm easily, but then again, so had she, and twice, in just a few minutes. She was close even now, after just a few moments of riding Kohta. "Kohta, I'm about to..."

Kohta at that moment arched his hips, and groaned aloud as simultaneous orgasms racked the teens. Kohta marveled at Saya's cry, as it rose and changed in pitch as she clenched around his throbbing member as it spasm ed.

Falling onto his chest, a breathless Saya kissed Kohta. "How many more condoms are left in that box," she asked.

"Not enough," Kohta said laughing aloud at his own forwardness, as well as her's.

"I still think he's gonna get his ass kicked over it," Shizuka heard Rika say as she made her way down the stairs that led to Reed's workshop.

"Nonsense. How many times have I actually been wrong. It's like some kind of fucking curse. Only the shit I predict for me goes to hell," Reed said as Shizuka finally got down the stairs and made her way over to lean on the bench next to Rika.

"Bet a blowjob on it," Reed said finishing loading up another magazine, and laying it the the stack of other completed ones. He picked up another empty one and began to load it.

"Done," Rika said putting out her cigarillo in frustration.

"How many does she owe you now, Reed," Shizuka asked laughing. _It's good to have the trio back together again,_ she thought to herself.

"If she started today, three times a day, she may be done in a few weeks or so," Reed said laughing.

"Well, you wouldn't be the only ones," Shizuka said. "Kohta and Saya disappeared and as i made my way down the hall I heard hear her crying out pleasantly," she finsihed with a blush and a laugh.

Rika hung her head.

"That's another one," Reed said laughing.

A blush coming to her face, Shizuka gasped. "So you were betting on those two?"

"Yes," Rika said with a pout on her face. "I just can't stand that retard being right all the time. The only thing he seems to be able to screw up is his own life."

"Yeah, he's really good at that," Shizuka said laughing.

"Hey, Rika, who let Dolly Parton in my house," Reed said finishing another magazine, and picking up another of the empties.

"Who is Dolly Parton," Shizuka asked, evicting an uproarous laugh from Rika.

"She's the american country-western singer, who can't sing, and has really big tits," Rika said stifling her laughter.

Shizuka winked at Rika. "But Reed knows I can sing."

Reed dropped a round into the floor. "Touche," he said picking it up and placing it in the pocket of his pajama-pants.

"Speaking of which, I do miss music," Shizuka said sadly.

"Rika's big ass is on my ipod," Reed said as he continued loading up magazines. "The mobile speakers are hooked behind her, just place the Ipod in it."

"I know how to work it," Shizuka said cheerily.

"Food," Tadashi said carrying a trey down the stairs. "Kiriko had me bring your portions down here. She said you might be busy," he said. He still couldn't get over the armory down here, it amazed him every time he saw it.

"Great," Shizuka said taking the trey from him and sitting it next to Rika on the bench.

"Later," Tadashi said tearing his eyes away from what he once would have considered implements of death, but now may be the saving grace of them all and headed back up the stairs.

Reed made his way over and looked briefly at the trey, before moving back to his work-area to continue with the loading process.

"Don't like it," Shizuka asked as she picked up her chopsticks. "Itsadakimatsu!"

Rika had picked up her portion as well. "Itsadakimatsu," she said with a small smile. "He probably still can't use chopsticks," she said digging in.

Shizuka laughed, even while eating her meal. "Why don't we just feed him then," she said playfully.

"We may just have to," Rika nodded her approval.

"I'm standing right the fuck over here," Reed said agitated. "Don't talk like I'm not here."

"Yes," Shizuka stated, placing the recovered ipon in its stand and looking through the music. "He'll just have to be fed. Some men don't even have the sense to know when to eat."

"I agree, most will just stay too stubborn until they pass out from starvation, then they're useless," Rika agreed.

Shizuka began to sway her hips to the music while she ate. "There isn't much japanese music on this thing," she said pouting around a mouthful of pork.

"It's my ipod," Reed said glaring. "I'm not Japanese," he said tossing down a magazine in frustration.

Both women still ignoring him, Reed at least came over and picked up a bowl of the food, took a knife from a sheath on the table and began to feed himself.

Rika caught Shizuka's attention, and flicked her eyes towards Reed's hands.

Shizuka looked at his fingers, which were raw, scraped, and bleeding from the repetive action of loading the magazines by hand.

*I'm only happy when it rains* the music droned.

"You haven't changed have you Reed," Shizuka said lying a hand on the ample bicep of Reed's arm.

"Like a broken record," he said taking another bite of pork, peppers, and onions from the blade of the knife.

"After you get done eating," Reed continued, "I'll show you to a room you two can use. You probably need some time together, especially after this sudden shit. You can use mine."

Rika nodded. "Bathing would be nice too."

"This is a mansion. There are three full baths, all with a walk-in full body shower. Too ritzy for me," he said finsihing his food up quickly, as he was prone to do.

"You still haven't got over africa," Shizuka said sadly

"What's it matter, it's probably gone by now," he said half-heartedly. "I'm past all that. If i just concentrate on what I'm doing, I don't even think of it anymore. We've got enough problems without me dwelling in the past."

"Well," Rika said finsihing her meal, "let's see this room of yours."

( )

"Here you go," Kiriko said laying a trey of food down for Rei, Saeko, and the sleeping Takashi. "You girls wake him up. You'll probably have to feed him. He should be too sore to sit up on his own, let alone use both hands to feed himself."

"Hai," Saeko said with a smile.

Rei nodded. "Sure mom. We'll make sure he gets plenty to eat."

Kiriko smiled as she left the room, and closed the door behind her.

"I smell food," Takashi said stirring on his bed.

"Takashi," Rei said moving quickly over to him. "You shouldn't move too much. You'll tear your wound open."

"Yeah, I noticed," he said his eyes shut against the pain.

Saeko came over to stand beside them, her wound giving her relatively little pain, as it was shallow after going through Takashi. "Thought we'd lost you there," she said smiling at him.

"Me too," Takashi said as Rei and Saeko helped him sit up and bed. He dropped his chopsticks twice trying to eat with one hand, and soon Rei was feeding him, with an amused Saeko watching from an easy chair.

As he took his last bite, Takashi was having troulbe keeping his eyes open. "So this guy, he's cool, right," he asked fighting sleep and swallowing his last bite.

"Dad trusts him," Rei said cheerily. "Now get some sleep, before you fall out of bed."

Being too tired to argue, Takashi nodded as Rei helped him lie back and he was asleep as his head hit the pillow.

"He's knocked the fuck out," Saeko said with a laugh.

"You don't have to stay with him all the time," Rei said indignantly. "What do you want with him," she asked heatedly sitting and beginning to eat her food now that Takashi had been properly fed.

"What's it matter, you've got it in your head that I'm trying to steal him away," Saeko said sitting her, now empty bowl down on a table near her chair.

"I've suddenly lost my appetite," Rei said setting her food down roughly and storming towards the door.

Rei felt her wrist being caught in an iron grasp, as she was spun around and slammed against the door that opened inward, so there was no chance she could get away.

"What..." Rei stammered.

"It's not just him that I want," Saeko said meeting Rei's eyes with hunger in them. "Even back when Hisashi left me for you. I'd much rather have had you than him," she explained licking her lips and pressing her body up against Rei. "And now I find myself wanting the both of you.." Saeko said her cheeks slightly heated.

"But...Saeko," Rei said blushing. "I'm not that...way."

"Then why don't you push me away, and leave," Saeko said moving her face beside of Rei's and gently nipping her ear. "Just push me off and leave. I won't try to stop you." As Rei made no such move, Saeko smiled. "I've seen you, you're always looking at me. If you want, you can make the first move on Takashi," Saeko said sliding a hand up Rei's thigh and rubbing at her sex through her panties. "Or we can do it together," she said biting gently at Rei's lower lip.

For her part, Rei was both horrified and aroused. It wasn't just the touch that aroused her, she had masturbated before, but it was the hungry look in Saeko's eyes that was exciting her. She had occasionally thought of women before, but never really taken it to heart. She pushed her tongue past Saeko's parted lips, closed her eyes, and thrust her hips into Saeko's hand.

With Rei now kissing her back and pushing against her hand, Saeko smiled, and dipped her fingers beneath Rei's panties, feeling the warm wet lips of her vagina, and relishing in it. She was a bit suprised to feel Rei's slightly clumsy hand moved up her own thigh, dip beneath her thong, and rub her clit, Saeko gasped into Rei's wet mouth, and began to rub Rei's clit as well.

Breaking the kiss, Saeko, with her hand now free of Rei's wrist, opened her own and Rei's blouses, and tugged down the bras, exposing their breasts, and began to move her chest slightly rubbed her breasts against Rei's, eliciting nearly identical moans of pleasure.

"Just tell me to stop, Rei, and I wil," Saeko said dipping her head to take the nipple of one of Rei's breasts into her mouth to suckle it.

"Please, don't," Rei said moaning, her hips bucking, back arching, and shivering in silent orgasm.

Saeko pulled her close and held her during her climax, stroking her hair, and whipsering comforts into her ear. "Good girl. That's fine. Just like that," Saeko said surprised at the hunger in her own voice.

Her climax finally over, Rei submitted to her own hunger, and dipped her head down to Saeko's ample bosom, and began to hungrily suck, lick, and bite her them. She was suprised by her own tenacity, but accepted it never-the-less.

"Oh, god," Saeko moaned in pleasure, as Rei finger moved from her clit, and dipped deeply inside her sex with suprising force. "Yes, I like it hard like that," Saeko moaned her eyes hazy and her head thrown back in ecstacy.

Rei let go of Saeko's nipple, and it popped from her mouth audibly, and she set her face next to Saeko's, as her free hand grabbed at one of her nipples and pulled it roughly.

"Yes," Saeko moaned aloud shivering.

"So you like it rough," Rei said cutely, biting saeko on the neck. She shoved her fingers further and harder into Saeko's sex. "So cum for me," Rei said rubbing herself against Saeko.

Saeko grabbed hold both of her own nipples and twisted them roughly as she did. She let out a low moan that made Rei's loins burn with desire, making Rei's blush deepen as she felt her own wetness begin to see down her thighs.

"Such a naughty girl," Saeko said pulling Rei to her for a kiss which Rei returned wholeheartedly.

Rei then felt something warm running down her hand all the way to her elbow, and reveled in the fact that Saeko had just squirted all over her hand.

They kissed, fumbling at each other in their relative inexperience, and around the room, until Rei felt something hit the back of her legs, and she found herslef sitting on Takashi's bed.

"Uh..."

Both girls froze as they looked at Takashi. His eyes were wide open and his face was scarlet.

Rei was suprised as Saeko slid down between her legs, her eyes on Takashi. "What's wrong, Takashi, I thought this was the fantasy of every man," she said pulling down Rei's underwear and running her tongue along Rei's mound, lapping up the juices.

"I...wow," Takashi said his eyes riveted to Rei's.

Rei searched his eyes, and smiled, running her hand up his leg, over the blanket, until it found the bulge at his groin. "Takashi," she said in a sultry voice, "don't you wanna come play," she said as she had so many times when they were children. The throb she felt from his erection was more than enough answer for her, but she decided to tease him some more.

"Ohhhh! Takashi, she's sucking on my clit," Rei said as she squeezed his erection while Saeko sucked on her clit with wild abandon.

"Oh god," Takashi said struggling to get up, but not yet having the strength.

"Saeko, let's put on a show for him," Rei said recklessly.

Saeko looked up at Rei her face wet. "That sounds...wonderful," Saeko purred.

The girls then stood up, turned on the rest of the room's lights, and moved the large couch next to Takashi's bed on his uninjured side.

Saeko laid down on the couch, face up, and Rei straddled her face, facing Takashi and lowered herself down onto Saeko's waiting tongue, moaning all the while. Rei decided to begin to tease Takashi heavily, drawing on most of the dirty language she knew. "Takashi, she's fucking my pussy with her tongue," she said.

It elicited the reaction she had wanted, and she could tell Takashi was nearly apoplectic as she came while riding Saeko's face, moaning his and Saeko's name aloud as she did.

Rei grabbed Takashi's good hard, and placed it over Saeko's wet mound. "Takashi, play with this," Rei said batting her eyes at him prettily. "Fuck it hard."

This was more than takashi could take, and he slid his fingers into Saeko's sex with a wild abandon, like he was having sex with her himself. Rei dipped her head down as he did, and began to lick Saeko's clit, raising herself up off Saeko enough to hear her gasp.

"Fuck me Takashi," Saeko cried. "Rei, please lick my clit," she begged.

As a reponse, Rei sucked Saeko's clit into her mouth hard, and wiggled her ass in Saeko's face.

"Oh god," Saeko cried. "More."

Saeko hadn't felt anything like this before, but she wanted more of it, she craved it. She closed her eyes as she moaned and gasped, and imaged that it was Takashi's cock entering her while Rei licked her clit. And this though drove her over the edge, and she climaxed, feeling herself spurt up over Takashi's hand, and up onto his arm.

"Wha...what was that," Takashi asked in suprise.

Rei looked up licking her lips. "She just squirted. I think you'll see more of it," she said climbing from the couch and pulling down Takashi's blanket, to expose his now steepled boxers. "We can't bounce you around yet," she said laughing and gently nuzzled his erection with her face.

Saeko stood up, and placed Takashi's right hand on her still dripping sex, and leaned over so that her breasts were in his face. "One more time, Takashi," she said holding his head to her chest, and hearing a gasp as Rei ingulf his erection with her mouth. Saeko then began to whipser enouragement into his ears.

"I know that pretty mouth feels good, Takashi," Saeko said boldly as his fingers began once again to roughly work her sex and he began to lick at her breasts. "Oh god, more," she purred into his ear. "Get better," Saeko said calling on some of the things she had heard Rei say to him, "and soon I'll be squirting on your cock."

Takashi groaned, as he was pushed over the edge.

"Yum," Rei said as his spasming fingers sent Saeko over the edge as well.

Tadashi lit one of his last few cigarettes as his wife took away the dishes of their meal. "Hun, are you sure you don't need any help?"

"It's nice being your wife after being separated from you. I think I can handle one evening's dishes by myself," Kiriko said cheerily.

Brion had taken his leave, choosing to eat in his own room, leaving them older couple alone with the young Alice, who was yawning, night having fallen.

"Sleepy little one," Tadashi said smiling.

"A little," the girl admitted putting on a difiant face. "But I'll take the first watch," she said adamantly.

"Oh, no doubt you would," Tadashi said a fatherly feeling coming over him. "But, that's my job," he said sagely. "You see, my back hurts," he said indicating the small of his back, "and I can't sleep much at night. The temperature makes it ache, so I worked nights as a police officer, and slept during the day," he said winking at Kiriko.

"Oh," Alice said brightly. "So you'll watch at night, so I can in the day."

"It's true," Kiriko admitted. "My tadashi rarely sleeps nights," she said with a sly wink at him.

That sly wink wasn't for his trick about getting the child to bed either.

"Let's set you here," she said placing her on the ches lounge, zeke bounding up and curling up at her feet. "You're near the fireplace, so they'll be plenty of light if you want to get up for a snack," Kiriko explained.

"Right, and I can see the gate through the window. If anything tried to get through it, I can hear it, and let everyone know," Alice said yawning.

Tadashi could only admire the girl. Those kids had taught her well how to survive. Tadashi was really proud of them all. Just a week ago, they were brats, now, they were young men and woman fighting for their lives. It gave him hope for the future, and brought tears to his eyes, so he turned his head and finsished his cigarette before extinguishing it.

Kiriko came over, and sat on the arm of his chair, and he put his arm around her. "My fool of a husband, crying over a little girl," she said patting his shoulder. "It's very sweet," she said chuckling.

"They give me hope," Tadashi said wiping his eyes.

Kiriko leaned down and embraced her husband. "Then let's hold onto that hope."

Tadashi smiled as she helped him up, and they made their way to one of the adjacent guest rooms, and locked the door behind him.

"And there you have it," Reed said waving his arm around the luxurious room."I call it home."

"Be a dear and fix me a drink," Rika said unpinning her hair and beginning to disrobe.

"Yessa Massa," Reed said in mocking english oving over to a cabinet and pulling out a few glasses and pouring a potent brown spirit into them.

"Don't you have anything like Bacardi," Shizuka asked playfully.

"Rum's for pussies and wannabe's," Rika answered finally stripping the last of her clothing off, upending her drink, and walking into the joining bathroom. Soon the sounds of the water running over her body came to Reed's ears.

Reed and Shizuka smiled, and Reed downed his drink, and began to make his exit for the room, but was stopped by Shizuka's arms around him. "Reed, it's been over two years, don't you think you can stay," Shizuka said nuzzling her face into his back, her arms holding ontothe hard muscles of his abdomen. "I'll sing for you," she said.

Shizuka laughed as she felt Reed tense, and could feel his body heating as he blushed. "I know you miss it," she said holding him tighter, "stay with us," she purred at his ear.

Reed nodded.

"Then let's get you ready for a bath-time," Shizuka said playfully, tugging down his pajama pants, as he pulled his shirt up over his head. "That's much better," she said admiring his well-muscled body, the pattern of different shaped tattoos covering his back and shoulders.

Closing her eyes as he turned, Shizuka began to quietly sing.

Gently running his hands over her, Reed remembered the first time he'd ever heard that song, and that memory made him ache in a way humans shouldn't be able to. A lustful longing, a mournful pain, all mixed together and tatoo'd upon his heart. Kissing her on the forehead, he slowly began to remove her clothing, his touch lighter than he thought himself capable of.

Still singing, standing naked, but clad in her armor of dignity, Reed could only admire the jewel in front of him, even as he scooped her up, and carried her into the bath, walking into the open door of the walk-in shower where Rika awaited, rinsing the last of the soap from her hair.

Nodding wordlessly, Rika merely picked up a sponge, applied the soap, and began to wash Shizuka as she sang beautifully still lying in Reed's arms. Rika smiled at the sad memory of that song, and lightly washed her lover's body, careful to not miss a spot, and continued over and began to wash Reed as well.

Rinsing them with a portable shower nozzle Rika wetted Shizuka's hair as Reed leaned her over, and soon suds were falling form the long blonde locks. Shizuka lifted her hands as she continued to sing, luxuriating in the feel of hot-water, and the pleasent smell of the soap in her hair as she, along with Rika, scrubbed her head.

Her hair now rinsed, and still singing, Shizuka leaned up and began to scrub Reed's close cropped hair with shampoo, and soon the trio were all clean.

As soon as Shizuka finished her song, Reed sat her down gently in the large soaking tub on the other side of the bathroom. Rika as well settled herself into the hot-water, followed by Reed, whose massive additional mass caused the water in the tub to overflow to a drain in the middle of the massive bathroom.

"It has been quite a while," Rika said as she leaned over Shizuka and kissed her.

As the two kissed, Reed smiled inwardly. It had been too long. He merely watched as the two kissed, their hands roaming each other's bodies, familiarizing with curves they had already known for years, but reveling in each new detail they found.

As Shizuka scooted herself up to sit on the side of the tube, with his legs spread sitting in the water, he nearly groaned as Rika's face was laid upon Shizuka's sex. Shizuka moaned at the oral sensation and was losing her balance.

At this, Reed removed himself from the tube to stand behind Shizuka and hold her up, listening to her moan as Rika continued her minstrations upon the lovely blonde.

Looking up at him, Shizuka smiled. "It feels so good," she managed moaning all the while.

Reed's hands found Shizuka's breasts and began to massage them firmly, gently pulling her nipples, and rubbing them in a base to tip motion.

Shizuka orgasmed then, crying out, her legs locking behind Rika's head, her arms gripping tightly to Reed's own her eyes rolled back, and her tongue hanging out. Her body shivered in ecstacy as her voice rose in pitch, much as it did when singing.

Reed held her tightly to him, until her body began to relax, her face flushed. "Mmmmm," she said licking her lips, and leaning her head back against Reed's groin.

Lifting her wet face, Rika purred. "Let's continue this, where soft," she said standing, taking a towel, and stopping by the door to the bedroom.

Helping Shizuka up and shady legs, Reed wrapped a towel around her, as Rika moved over to steady her. "You two are always carrying me," she said smiling. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Finally now able to stand on her own, Shizuka winked at Rika, and they playfully shoved at Reed, until the back of his legs touched the bed. "Lie down, lover," Shizuka said a hand on his chest as Reed complied, falling back onto the bed and centering himself on it, as Shizuka laid between his legs, her hands running up and down the length of Reed's now hard shaft.

Rika laid down next to Reed, placing his calloused hand over her very wet sex, and began to whipser in his ear. "You know what to do with those, you're good with your hands, but I think Shizuka will gladly cover some of my debt," Rika said biting her ear, and nibbling on his neck.

"Just relax," Shizuka said licking the tip, then sliding her mouth over, and down the length of his erection.

Reed groaned as his muscles tensed, veins bulging up all over his body. The suddeness of it had taken him completely by surpise.

"She said relax," Rika teased in his ear as she rubbed her clit against his fingers.

Taking a breath, Reed relaxed, and slid his fingers into Rika's steaming sex, which evoked a purr of delight into his ear. "Don't be easy," Rika teased. "I've missed your rough hands."

Smiling in nostalgia, as well as the present sensations, Reed curled the fingers of his left hand up hard, his thumb rubbed the nub of Rika's slippery clit, his fingers finally curling enough to find that sensitive spot just up and inwards, as liquid flooded his hand as Rika orgasmed. This he repeated over and over again, as Shizuka took him into her mouth, slowly in and out, his pace with Rika matching Shizuka's pace with him, everyone in tune with one-another.

The multiple orgasms were taking their toll on Rika, Shizuka could tell, even from where she was at, and so she quickened her pace, for a moment, and let Reed slip from her mouth with an audible 'pop', as Rika disentagled herself from Reed, and straddled his hips, as Shizuka straddled his face.

Reed's throbbing erection pressing gently against Rika's entrance, Shizuka grabbed her friend by her shoulders and forced her down in one swift moment, even as Reed's gasp was cut off by Shizuka's wet mound slamming down onto his face.

Riding now, Rika groaned in pleasure, leaning forward for her lips to meet Shizuka's. The two kissed, moaning and groaning against one another, two lovers in union, as they joined even with the third.

Reed timed his tongue's movements, and even the slight thrusts of his hips with the bucking and grinding of his two lovers, bringing all three of them into a sweet harmony, while caused his head to spin.

_It's going to be a long evening, and night,_ Reed thought happily to himself.

Laying in sweat and the pleasant aroma of sex, Tadashi held his wife tightly.

"Well, I can say that was wonderful,"Kiriko said lighting a cigarette and drawing from it, before handing it to her husband.

"I agree," Tadashi chuckled heartily as he too puffed the cigarette deeply.

"Sleepy," Kiriko asked.

"Nope," Tadashi said extinguishing the cigarette, and kissing his wife.

"Pent up, huh," Kiriko asked excited. "I may have to enlist help to quench your fire, if this is what you're going to be like from now on."

"Two of you couldn't handle me back then," Tadashi said brazenly.

Kiriko merely smiled.

"Should we get into bed," Kohta asked Saya nervously.

"Who gives a fuck," Saya answered breathlessly. "I don't think I could walk if I wanted to."

"I'm sorry," Kohta said concern in his voice.

"Shut up, idiot. It's a good thing."

Laughing, Kohta pulled her closer. "Sorry, I'm still a little new at this."

"It's okay. So am I. I guess I'll have to have nurse air-head check me out. It's not uncommon for women to have a gynecological exam after having sex for the first time," Saya said blushing.

"To be a fly on that wall," Kohta said, Saya's elbow taking his breath before he even finished saying it.

"Idiot," Saya said lovingly, nuzzling into his neck. "Just stay quiet, and let me enjoy this...glow," she finished puzzled by it.

"I know the feeling," Kohta said patting her back. "It's like my insides are really warm."

Saya laughed. "Yeah, and my face too."

"Hey saya," Kohta said raising his head.

"Y-yeah," Saya said meeting his eyes.

"I was always afraid to ask you out in school, and you never really paid me any mind... but it seems kind of stupid to ask now," Kohta said his cheeks heating.

Saya blushed as well. "Shut up, the answer is yes."

Hugging her, Kohta laughed. "Wow, only took the end of the world for me to get the courage."

Hugging him back, Saya nodded. "Only took me to the end of the world to see you for who you are, not what you can do," she said sadly.

Leaning to his side, Kohta kissed the top of her head.

"So, Kohta," Saya asked sitting up, her clothing discarded, but she remained unembarassed by her nakedness. "Where'd you get all those muscles," she asked indicated the swells on his arms, shoulders, chest, and legs.

"Oh, well... I found out some soldiers do strengthening excerises called an-aerobic excercises. They don't build shell muscle, like body-builders, they build strength muscle. By depriving your body of air during short excercises, the acid builds up in your muscles, so instead of having to rip large portions of muscles during excercises, it rips the same muscle a hundred times over, making it stronger than the 'shell' muscle, and giving it more endurance," Kohta answered honestly.

"Dont' they do that in Karate and stuff," Saya asked.

"That's where they got the idea. You're smarter than me, so you probably know anatomy a lot better. But there are different kinds of muslce in the body. Endurance, great strength, and the middle of the road is endurance. This helps to build strong muscles with good endurance," Kohta finsihed.

"I see," Saya nodded.

"When I was on-the-go with my mom or dad, we were always staying in hotels, or some ritsy place somewhere. I almost always got couped up. It's hard to get any fresh-air when you're stuffed into a hotel-room for a week. So I researched these excercises. Yeah, I'm chubby," Kohta said pinching some fat on his stomach, "but i'm pretty strong. Though running isn't my forte, I've been forced to get better at it. My asthma is just about gone too," he said cheerily.

"That's kind of impressive," Saya said yawning.

"That's contagious," Kohta said yawning as well.

"Go to sleep," Saya said drifting off.

Kohta nodded as his eyes became heavier and heavier.

With Saeko lying up against his uninjured said, his right arm stroking her hair and shoulders, and Rei lying her head on his stomach, Takashi sighed.

Although the night's events had caught him completely by surprise, it wasn't at all a disappointment.

"Takashi," Rei said quietly, and Takashi felt Saeko tense.

"Yeah," Takashi said looking down at Rei.

"Do you still love me," Rei asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Takashi replied.

"How do you feel about Saeko," Rei asked uncertainly.

"I...love her too, Rei," Takashi said honestly.

Rei seemed to mull this over for a minute, but Takashi could feel the tension within her.

"Hey, Saeko, do you love me," Takashi asked.

"Yes," Saeko said quietly.

"How do you feel about Rei," Takashi asked, his head spinning from this situation.

"I...I fell in love with Rei last fall," Saeko said hiding her face in Takashi's side.

Rei looked completely shocked. She had known Saeko had like her, even lusted after her, especially after tonight, but she was astounded to hear that love was involved.

"So...I guess the question is, Rei, how do you feel," Takashi asked.

Rei shook her head. "I don't know," she said her eyes watering.

Saeko patted Rei's back. "It's okay, Rei, I understand. You'll come to terms with how you feel about me eventually, one way or the other," Saeko said comfortingly.

Rei nodded and embraced her two lovers.

Takashi lifted his left arm, just enough, and was able to place it on the top of Rei's head in a comforting gesture. "S'ok. Are you comfortable with this for now, though," he asked her.

Rei looked up at Takashi, then to Saeko. "Yeah... it feels...right," Rei said confused.

"Then the hell with the bullshit," Takashi said laying his head back down exhaustion working it's way into his brain, "just do what feels right." Takashi's eyes drifted closed, and soon his breathing evened out as sleep overcame him.

"You do still love him," Saeko said nervously. She didn't think she could handle it if they weren't all together, as she wished.

"Yeah," Rei admitted. "But...the way I feel for him feels very different from what I'm feeling for you... so I couldn't answer his question so easily..."

Saeko nodded. "I fell in love with you some time ago, and yes, I feel differently for you than I do for Takashi, but that doesn't mean I love one of you more than the other, just...differently."

Rei looked at the brunette. "I think I'm started to see what you mean... It's almost like how I love my mom and dad. I love them equally, and without question, but the love i feel for them as individuals is kinda different."

Saeko nodded. "It would be akin to how a father loves his daughter and son. If he really loves them, they'll be no favorites, but, he'll love them differently."

Rei leaned over and kissed Saeko. "Saeko, I love you," Rei said her cheeks heating as she realized she genuinely meant it.

Saeko smiled and kissed her back."Rei, I love you too."

The girls looked at Takashi. "I love you, Takashi," they said in unison suprising both themselves, and each other.

"Well, I guess we've got more in commong than we thought," Rei said cheerily.

"Rei," Saeko said a blush on her face.

"Yeah," Rei answered.

"What...what did it taste like," Saeko asked her face now crimson.

Rei's face immediately matched Saeko's when she figured about what she was questioning her. "Uh...well, I hear guys are happy in the morning, so you can find out then," Rei said seeing Saeko grin. "And I can watch," Rei said hungrily.

"Well," Saeko said taking hold of Rei's hand, "let's wait till morning. He'll never heal if we keep him up all night listening to us fuck."

Rei giggled in delight. "Well, when he's better, he'll have no need to heal. Then we can keep him up all we want."

Saeko nodded.

Rei let her mind drift, and soon she joined Takashi in sleep.

Saeko snuggled further into Takashi's unwounded side, and kissed Rei's hand. "Good night, loves," she said smiling and drifting as well into a deep sleep.

"I should really check on the wounded kids," Shizuka said drifting off to sleep.

"She's drooling on my arm again," Reed said as Rika pressed one of her cigarillo's into his mouth and lit it from her own.

"You don't mind when she drools on other things," Rika said puffing on the cigarillo.

"Don't mind when she drools at all, but I get blamed for it," Reed said puffing and exhaling smoke. "Guess I'll go check on the kids."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Rika chided.

"I'm from America. Legal age there is 18. I'm too used to all these girls being jailbait," he said shaking his head. "From the time they've had, now that they've reached relative safety, I'm sure I'll walk into some kind of uncomfortable situation. Probably get slapped too."

Rika went ahead and slapped him. "There, feel better now," she laughed.

Reed smiled as he covertly got hold of one of her now sensitive nipples and twisted it.

"Ooooh," Rika cooed. "Easy now, I'm doing good to stay awake until I finish my smoke. If you're gonna make me horny, at least do it when I'm awake."

Reed unentangled himself from the two buxom beauties. "We'll adress that later. Get some sleep," he said waving and moving to put on some clothing.

"Fucking insomniac," Rika said falling asleep as her head collided with the pillow, her cigarillo extinguished.

Reed put out his smoke as well, and dressed hastily in another pair of pajama pants, and threw on a long-sleeved shirt. Moving down the hall, and navigating stairs in the dark, he cracked the door the wounded kid's room just a hair.

Stifling his laughter, Reed stepped in, noticing how the boy was awake, draped in two nude girls in a room that smelled of sex. "Rough night," Reed asked.

"Wh-what are you doing in here," Takashi asked quietly.

"My house. Checking on the wounded. Seems you're doing fine," Reed said laughing.

"Oh, you must be Reed. I'm okay, and thanks for putting us up. But..." Takashi trailed off.

"What," Reed asked giving Takashi the thumbs up and acting as if he was holding boobs to his chest and nodding.

"I've gotta piss, but they won't wake up," Takashi said in a quiet tone.

"Shit," Reed said moving over to the bed. "Now don't get pissed," he said handing Takashi an unfolded cruth from his brother's kit, and moving down to the blonde. "I'ma have to pick her up."

Takashi nodded. "Ready," he said gritting his teeth.

Placing an arm across the top of her chest, above her breasts, and another beneath her thighs, Reed lifted the girl up enough for Takashi to get himself sat up on the bed.

Reed placed the blonde next to the brunette, and pulled a cover over them both. "Let the blood flow into your legs good before you get up," Reed said quietly.

Takashi nodded as he stood, the cruch beneath his good arm.

Reed opened the door for him, and closed it behind him. "We're on the bottom floor. Toilet's right there," he said pointing at the room across the hall from the room they had just exited.

Reed made his way into the semi-lit kitchen, and checked the time. It would be dawn soon. "Fuck," he said quietly as he began to prepare coffee in a percilator on the gas range.

Takashi came into the kitchen behind him and sat at the table. "Could I get a cup of that," he asked.

Reed poured two cups, and sat across from Takashi.

Takashi sat in silence for a few moments before opening his mouth, then closing it again.

"What," Reed asked.

"Well..." Takashi trailed off.

"You're ninety-nine problems now include a couple bitches, right," Reed asked undaunted.

"Well...I wouldn't say that, but yeah," Takashi answered.

"So, what do you want from me? Ask the old man about women-troubles," Reed said indicating Tadashi.

"Yeah, explain a threesome relationship with his daughter and another girl to him, and ask for advice about it," Takashi said taking a long pull of coffee.

"Oh, no ball eh," Reed said laughing. "I been seein' Shizuka and Rika for five years, now. I know some of what you mean."

Takashi let that sink in for a few moments. "Both of them," he asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"How is it," Takashi asked.

"Sex is a great, but i'm out numbered kid. They hit two directions simultaneously. Yours'll start that soon enough, especially if they're fuckin' each other," Reed said.

Takashi gritted his teeth.

"Oh, so that's it. You jealous of em' fuckin' each other, right? Don't be. You start actin' like an ass, you'll run em' both out. You love em' both," Reed asked finishing his coffee.

"Yeah," Takashi said hanging his head.

"That simplifies things. I'm assuming they love you. Well, for this triangle shit, they're going to start liking eachother a lot. Just stop being stupid, and be there for em'," Reed said sternly. "Stop reading into it, and just let it happen. Until tonight, I hadn't seen Rika and Shizuka in two years, but yeah, I'm sure they've been fucking at mostly every opportunity they've got since. What's it really matter," Reed asked.

"Well, whether they have sex with each other or not, it doesn't change how they feel about me, and it shouldn't change how I feel about them," Takashi said understanding.

Reed nodded. "Don't pit them against each other, enourage them to work together as much as possible. Three by three is nine. So that's nine different points of view to consider," Reed said sagely.

"What," Takashi asked confused.

"Your life with Rei, your life with the brunette-Saeko was it, and your life with the both of them. They'll both have matching views. That's nine points of views. Talking can help, but only so much. The best thing to do is approach it with understanding and encouragement," Reed said refilling his cup with coffee.

"So how do I reign them in," Takashi asked.

"You're the leader of the group, right," Reed asked back.

"Yeah."

Reed nodded. "Then never as just Takashi. If it pertains to survival, then you've got that underfoot, but in your relationship, if you try to oppose them in any way, they'll ally and kick your ass."

Takashi held his head in his hands. "I think this'll kill me."

Reed laughed uproariously. "That's why so few men have more than one girl. Ain't many tough enough for it. But, you'll handle it. You may have noticed the benefits of such."

Takashi blushed.

"Not those fool," Reed shook his head. "Sex, well yeah, more is usually better, right? But the others. You can have the council and advice of both women that matter to you without the other being jealous of you heeding it. Before, there were problems when you listened to one or the other, right?"

"Yeah," Takashi said remembering Rei's jealousy.

"Well, if they're seeing you, and each other, that jealousy wil taper the fuck off, and take one of the weights of your shoulders, kid," Reed said taking a sip of coffee and patting him on the shoulder.

"By the way, what happened at Shintoko 3rd," Takashi asked. "I thought the SDF was evacuating people from there. That's where Rei's dad should've been, right?"

"Well," Reed began, "the SDF had a shit ton more civillians than they could evacuate using only choppers in any efficient manner. P.T.S.D. hit a lot of the civilians, and they formed a mob, elected some sort of new official, and shit got bad. Huge fucking riots and shit, tons of people killed, and I barely got my brother, Tadashi, and my ass out alive," Reed answered simply.

"Did you meet a woman named Miku Komuro," Takashi asked.

"Yeah, she was with Rei's dad with the riots started. She didn't make it dude," Reed said sadly. "I heard she was your mom. I'm sorry. Sucks you had to hear it from me, but I"m not going to lie about it."

Takashi sat staring into his coffee for several minutes in silence, so long, that Reed emptied the cold coffee and poured Takashi a new cup.

"I thought I'd lost her, when I got to the elementary and saw all that blood through the windows," Takashi said tears falling from his face.

As Takashi sat and thought over it some more, he had to know. "What happened to her," he asked the question weighing heavily on his heart.

"In the confusion, Rei's old man hooked up with me and my Little bro," Reed said calling his brother that despite the opposite gap in age. "Your mom was there, and we were trying to get out of there alive, some civillians had stolen weapons from the SDF, and were guarding the gates, refusing to let anyone in or out of the camp. I worked some magic, and there was an empty gate, don't ask. Anyway, as we were getting away from teh school, some fool called out an alarm because we'd gotten away, and threw out a shot..."

Takashi laughed for a moment. "So mom survies all this shit, and some fanatic shoots her..."

"Yeah, it's fucked up. Some idiot shot you too, trying to steal your shit," Reed reminded him.

"It's almost like the living are bigger threats than the dead," Takashi said his eyes finally beginning to clear.

"They are. Dead can't use guns. Dead don't think. Dead just do what comes on instinct. The living panic, and go apeshit. I really am sorry, kid. We carried her back here, and dug her a grave out back and sat some flowers from pots on it," Reed said half-heartedly.

"S'ok. Thanks for taking care of her like that. I never really thought I'd see her alive anyway, it's just the knowing that sucks," Takashi said nodding.

Patting Takashi on the shoulder Reed nodded at him. "Don't let it eat at you, kid. You've got a lot of people to look after."

Looking up at the man, Takashi took heart. "Can I count on your help," he asked the huge american.

Reed nodded. "Shizuka doesn't wanna leave you kids. Rika won't leave Shizuka. If they split, I'd be fucked. I ain't gonna try and undercut you on things, but if you listen to me and Rika, we can teach you some shit."

Takashi nodded. "I'll call on that as much as I can, though I suck as a student," Takashi said with a cheeful laugh, then felt guilty for it.

"Don't kid. She's dead. She ain't gotta run in this shit anymore. She'll want to see you smile. Take heart and do what you can. Grieve later," Reed said sadly. He thought for another moment. "Or when those two girls wake up, if you're feeling better, cry your eyes out and play it off that I told you and thought you already knew. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to comfort you," Reed said laughing.

"Twisted fuck," Takashi said laughing whole-heartedly. It was a sick joke, but... he was feeling better. The hole in him wasn't that big, and he thought he could take a little bit of bouncing.

Reed leaned over and whispered something for a few moments into Takashi's ear.

"No shit," Takashi said. "And it consistently works?"

"Yup," Reed said smugly.

"No fuckin' way," Takashi said shaking his head. "I've seen the porn, but it's that easy."

"If she can, she can. That'll work on like 90% of them, allegedly," Reed said nodding sagely.

"What does," Tadashi said coming into the kitchen looking exhausted.

"Was just telling this kid how to get the blonde and brunette into bed with him, simultaneously," Reed said handing Tadashi a cup of coffee.

"That's called a 'hat trick'," Tadashi said taking a drink of coffee. "Wait...which blonde," he asked suspiciously.

Takashi shook his head. "He's pulling your dick, old man."

As Tadashi turned around to take another drink of coffee while looking out the window and releasing a sigh of relief, Reed gave Takashi a thumbs up.

Takashi flipped Reed the bird before Tadashi turned back around.

"Besides, where is my daughter," Tadashi asked suspiciously.

"We put em' into Takashi's bed," Reed said waving his hands as Tadashi's look turned heated. "They must've been worried about the kid here, and stayed up late watchin' over him. I came to check on em' this morning, and they were sleeping in chairs. I helped the kid out of bed, and we stuck them in his bed so they could get some real rest," Reed finished covering for Takashi and his own ass.

Tadashi finishing his first cup of coffee and putting more on to brew, nodded. "How did you sleep, Reed," Tadashi asked knowing how loud the american snored on occasion. He hoped it would bring some laughter to the dreary pre-dawn light coming through the kitchen windows.

"I haven't been asleep," Reed admitted.

"Why not," Tadashi asked curiously.

"Some day, I'll have to explain to your married ass what single people do when alone," Reed said laughing.

"Oh," Tadashi said. "Which one was it? The nurse, or the soldier?"

"Oh we alternated," Reed said nodding.

"You wha..."

It then struck Tadashi what exaclty Reed had said. "With both of them," he asked.

"Hai," Reed laughed.

Reed sat down beside Takashi and caught his eye and glanced behind Tadashi at Kiriko who had just come into the adjoined living room.

Tadashi began recounting a tale of how when he and his wife were young and very reckless there was this red-headed girl who worked as a secretary at the precinct.

"What. Are. You. Talking. About. Senile. Old. Man," Kiriko said.

"How long as she been there," Tadashi asked his face turning grey.

"About the time you said 'you wha...' then trailed off apoplecticly and began telling stories," Reed said laughing.

Grabbing Tadashi by the ear, Kiriko hauled him off, telling him off softly so as to not wake the still sleeping Alice by the fireplace.

"He's not gonna have a good day," Takashi said shaking his head.

"She's mad. That can be good. If he apologizes, and she forgives him, well... they've been separated for a week, and will have missed each other, and he'll get make-up sex," Reed explained.

"Is make-up sex good," Takashi asked.

"Can be," Reed nodded. "You better get back to those two girls, and lock the fuckin' door. Don't want maw and paw coming in, especially if you're going to get early morning happy. Additionally, you've got one of the rooms with a bathroom attached. Take advantage of that, kid," Reed said yawning.

Takashi smiled wickedly.

"Yup. Oh, help me, I"m wounded and naked and can't wash myself," Reed said reciiting the comedian from a crappy movie.


	4. Chapter 4

-A few restful days later.

"These are live-fire drills," Reed said making sure everyone heard him. "You'll all be carrying rifles, with a back-up weapon, a pistol. This is a quick run through of live-fire drills. You'll fire your rifle until empty, drop it to your side, then on the mark, draw your pistol and engage while moving forward. This is a basic military tactic." Reed nodded to Kohta. "I'll keep pace with you."

Kohta nodded, and set his rifle on his shoulder, his barrel pointed slightly down, at the semi-ready position.

Rika held up a small device. "Marksmen at the Ready," she called then squeezed the small box letting out a high pitched beep in the underground firing range.

Takashi could only gaze in awe as the suppressed rifles came to life in the hands of the men before him. After the quick succession of shots from the rifles, Reed dropped his to his side, and waiting as Kohta's last couple shots came, and he too dropped his.

Rika pressed the button on the box yet again, and the two drew pistols and began a slow advance on the targets. The handguns unsilenced, barking to life in the hands of the gunmen before him. Reed's ran dry a few shots ahead of Kohta's, but he kept it on target, and soon Kohta's weapon quieted as well.

Takashi was glad of the hearing protection they were all wearing.

"Good time, Kohta," Rika said marking his time down.

"You're still keeping pace with me," Kohta laughed to Reed. "I'd like to see you run through without holding back."

"Go ahead, Reed," Rika jibed. "I'll run a reverse timer on the 'shot-box'. It means he stops shooting when he hears the second squawk."

Kohta nodded, and came to stand behind the ready mark as Reed hit the target return button and returned the targets.

Takashi watched Kohta's target as it came back, noticing the holes were in a pattern no larger than a grapefruit on the head of the silhouette. But Reed's... His were smaller than a golf-ball.

Reed replaced his target only, and sent it running back down-range on the wire it attached to.

"On the ready," Rika called out then hit the button, as the beep came, Takashi thought perhaps Reed had switched his rifle to fully-auto, the shots flying out so fast that it seemed, to Takashi, that it was a machine gun in hand. As the gun dried up, Reed began to move forward as his gun dropped, and drew his pistol swiftly, and began throwing shots out nearly as quickly as the rifle had. His movement was faster, and he was lower to the ground. Takashi noticed, his gun had run dry, and Reed replaced the magazine, and began firing anew.

Takashi's mouth dropped open at the spectacle before him. He'd seen stuff like this in Jon Woo movies, but those guys couldn't shoot for shit! Reed's gun ran dry a second time, and the magazine was replaced again, and Takashi heard the slide lock back just before the beep came from the device in Rika's hand.

"Holy, shit," Kohta said amazed. "You even put a full magazine in the rifle instead of just ten rounds," he said stuttering all the while.

Reed made his way back as Takashi hit the target return button, and the results of the run astounded him.

Except for two 'thrown' shots as he had learned to call them, the pattern on the target was just the size of a baseball.

"Holy shit," Kohta exclaimed yet again.

"Reed is a close-quarters-combat specialist," Rika said indicating the target. "You've got the knack for it as well, Kohta, you're good for your age. Blackwater trained you well, but don't forget, Reed was in the military with some of those Blackwater guys."

Reed nodded. "I was offered an instructor's position there once," he said reminiscing, "but I'm not a very good teacher. I can stuff the basics down your throat, and it's just repetition and mental training after that."

Takashi shook his head. He'd only run the course a few times, but he was already improving. He could hit the target with most of his shots, now, and his groups were becoming smaller. He was only missing the target's 'head' about five times per run, now.

"Right, but will this really help?" Saya asked.

Takashi eyed their 'genius' closely. She was a natural. She rarely even missed the head now, even all the way at the back of the course. She was a little shaky with the pistol, but still better than Takashi himself was.

"Better than nothing," Rika said. "At least you know what your sight picture looks like, now. If another emp comes, then you can use the iron sights. That's why we have you using both, now."

Reed nodded. "I just wish I had something more than Berettas. They're a nice weapon, but... I'd prefer some of those new FNH handguns with the new ammo. Twenty rounds per magazine."

Alice came up to Reed. "Uncle Reed, will you teach me to shoot too," she asked.

Takashi saw Reed's eyes at that moment. They filled with some kind of unseen horror that none of them, save Rika or Ms. Shizuka, understood. He raised his hand to his head for a moment, before kneeling down. "Sorry Rugrat, but I don't have any little girl's guns here. Okay," he asked smiling, but Takashi could still see the horror and pain in his eyes.

"Alice," Rika said. "Reed looks like he's got a headache. Why don't you go tell Shizuka to give him something, and make sure he goes to see her."

Alice saluted. "Hai," she said cheerily grabbing Reed's hand and pulling him from the range into his workshop, closing the door behind them.

"What's that about," Rei asked. "He looked like she had just asked him to shoot himself."

Rika grimaced. "We served in Africa for a while. The gorillas down there have no qualms about putting an assault rifle into the hands of little girls and boys. It's still lethal, and in some ways, more effective," she said sadly.

Takashi hung his head. The dead walking was probably one of the least fucked up things that had happened in their world. Genocide was a word invented by man, and a long time before the dead started getting back up.

"That's gotta be rough," Kohta said sadly. "I don't like shooting THEM, when they're kids."

Rika nodded. "That's an important lesson to learn. If you're willing to listen, Reed and I can teach you a lot about how to survive. And a lesson you've recently learned, is that not all of your enemies will be THEM."

Takashi nodded his head. He'd just recently been shot by another living human. If things kept up as they were, he'd probably end up shooting some PEOPLE soon.

Saeko patted him on the shoulder, and he understood the reassurance in the touch. She'd killed a person before this happened, and one after. Takashi had killed his best friend after he'd been bitten...

"Enough of that shit," Rika said her drill-instructor's voice coming back. "Remember the basics, one click of the safety to off. Magazine release, sights, trigger, breathing," she said naming off the things they needed when shooting. Their rifles unloaded, the teens were careful with the direction of the muzzles as they checked their weapons.

"Good," Rika said. "You're nearly good enough to not kill each other."

Takashi smiled at that.

Alice pulled on Shizuka's skirt. "Sensei," she said sweetly. "Uncle Reed has another headache. Rika said you should take care of him."

Tadashi eyed the man, dressed in military fatigues and still carrying his weapons, and ammunition in the holsters, pouches, and slings that kept them on him.

"Oh my," Shizuka said with a wink "Well, I was going to let Zeke out in the yard. Could you walk him out back for me?"

Alice saluted like a little soldier, and Reed winced just a little as the child ran off and opened the kitchen door, and ushered Zeke out, leaving it open just a crack behind her.

"Tadashi, Kiriko," Shizuka said seriously. "Help me get this stuff off of him, quickly," she said her tone carrying weight.

Tadashi sprang from his chair, and Kiriko moved from the kitchen with conviction. Soon they began unbuckling the weapons, vests, and holster from Reed, till soon he was wearing only his fatigue pants, and he sat in the floor, holding his face in his hands.

"What happened," Shizuka said squatting next to the obviously shaken man.

"She...asked me to teach her to use a gun," Reed said, his eyes leaking sorrowful tears. "Shizuka, I didn't want to," he said looking at the buxom nurse.

Tadashi was visibly shaken. He'd never seen the giant so shaken before.

"I know," Shizuka said taking a couple pills from her pocket. "Take these sedatives."

Reed shakily took the pills from her hand, and swallowed them long before Kiriko got back with a glass of water to aid the process, but Reed drank it anyway.

Reed began to rock slightly. "They were just fucking kids," he said his eyes no longer in the moment. "They gave guns to kids."

"They were sick people, Reed," Shizuka said hugging him to her. "It's not your fault. They just wanted to hurt everyone," she said shushing at the sobbing behemoth in her arms.

"Let's get him to his room," Tadashi suggested as Kiriko nodded.

Soon they were helping an unsteady Reed upstairs, and eventually out of his pants, down to his boxers, and into his bed. "Kids with A.K.'s... sick fucks," he said yet again.

This went on for some time, and it appeared, for the moment, Reed was lost in his own memories.

Shizuka got him to take another couple of the sedatives.

Kiriko nodded to the pills at Shizuka's side. "Are those going to be enough? What are they," she asked.

Shizuka shrugged. "Reed's got a biological tolerance for medicine. They're Halitol."

Tadashi raised his brows at that. Four Halitol would probably put Jack the Ripper in a peaceful sleep in a room full of prostitutes.

"What's it about," Kiriko asked.

Shizuka took a deep breath and told them.

"That's fucked," Kiriko replied simply.

"They were sick people," Shizuka agreed. "After he returned from the war, kids with toys used to set him off. He's improved greatly, but he's got a soft spot for children. Alice really set him off. He's been having a little bit of trouble helping teach the older kids. It kind of made him raw and sensitive. Alice pushed him over the edge."

Tadashi nodded. "I understand him a little more, now. If I had been in his shoes, I don't know if I could completely function after that."

Kiriko placed her hand on her husband's shoulder in silent comfort.

"Could you make sure we're not disturbed," Shizuka asked. "He'll need someone to talk to when he comes out of it. Someone who understands..."

Tadashi nodded. "I'll see to it."

As the couple closed the door behind them, Shizuka climbed onto the bed and pulled Reed's head onto her chest, where she held him as he sobbed silently.

Takashi and the other teens gathered around the table. "I guess the thing on the table is, what do we do, now, that there's no evacuation plan from the SDF," Takashi asked.

Saya exhaled. "I guess we need to hole up somewhere. Figure out some kind of way to make contact. Or just find some remote place we can be relatively safe," she said sounding tired.

Takashi nodded. "I'm inclined to agree. While secure, Reed says we're going to have food shortages in about a week. Anything after that will be canned goods, not fresh like we've got now. And we'll have to forage, or pack out of here before we run out."

Kohta nodded. "We can only assume there are people doing the same thing out there already. With the stuff that happened at Shintoko 3rd, they're probably more people like the guys that jumped us before we got here."

"We'll have to start gather food now, at least," Saeko added. "We can't just sit here until we run out of foodstuffs, then go scavenge for them. We need to be prepared."

Saya nodded her agreement. "Musashi's got a point there. We'll have to start gathering food soon."

Rei scratched her head. "Yeah, but we've got other things to consider as well. Though we're going light on the electricity, the stove and water-heater run on propane. It's a big tank, so we won't be able to refill it. We can handle some of the smaller propane tanks, like you get at grocery stores and stuff, but we'd need to bring several at a time."

Takashi huffed. "Right. We need to catalog everything, and how much expected life it's got left. Saya, could you handle that for us. You'll probably need to consult Reed and his brother on how much we've lost since the rest of us got here. Food will dry out the fastest. So that'll be always our first priority."

Saya nodded. "Yeah. Hot water is really nice, but we may have to begin to save the propane for the stove and heating alone."

There was a quiet grumbling about that, but most everyone agreed.

"We're good on guns and ammo," Takashi said. "Reed's got enough to fight WWIII."

Kohta laughed. "I think we already are, Takashi."

Takashi agreed, laughing as well. "Good point. I guess unless Reed is working in the shop, or we are, we'll have to shut down the Generator. If we leave it quiet for a while, the fuel will last longer, right?"

Kohta spoke up at this. "Yeah. Reed's got treatment to keep the fuel from going bad while it's inert, or not being used. If we have to wait out till winter here, that will help."

Takashi thought for a moment. "Does anyone know how big the propane tank is," he asked curiously.

"Well," Saya said. "It's also hooked up to the city's propane lines. Until power comes back those are down, but I think it's about a 100 gallon tank."

Takashi groaned. "No way we are gonna get a 100 gallon tank here without a truck that works. I guess we can make some trips to a grocery market, or scavenge houses for theirs."

"What if we have to move," Saeko asked. "No one's making plans for that, yet."

Takashi nodded. "Well, we'll need an isolated place, but I don't think we need to go into the wilderness. A remote location with a good supply of the things that we need. Water, accessible food, and it needs to be elevated."

"Elevated," Rei asked.

"When Takashi and I were leading them astray from you, we figured out they don't do so well on regular slopes. They recover quickly if they fall, but as long as the terrain is sloped, they'll have to climb to get to us, it acts as a barrier," Saeko explained.

Rei smiled. "So we'd go to a mountainous region. Maybe somewhere with fertile soil. Don't think we'll be having much takeout."

Kohta nodded. "Agriculture would be important as well. We're unsure to where the SDF were evacuating people, or even if we'd want to go there. There may be a repeat of Shintoko 3rd," he explained.

Takashi could only agree. "I think we need more information before we reach any kind of real decision. First, we need to tighten up here. Make sure we've got what we need. We'll still need food if we have to travel," he suggested.

Everyone could agree with that.

Rika laughed aloud. "You've got some good plans being laid there," she said puffing on a cigar.

Takashi nodded laughing. He hadn't noticed her standing in the door to the back of the house leading from the kitchen.

Shizuka smiled, holding Reed as he slept. He had finally calmed down enough for the Halitol to take effect.

"Sssh," she whispered as he slept. "It's okay. I still love you, Reed."

Mumbling in his sleep, Shizuka was able to make out 'love' and her name.

Shizuka giggled. He had been devoted to both her and Rika for years, now, and even weakened from his mental break, that devotion still held true. He had once forsworn to forsake his soul for her, and she believed it as strongly now as she did then.

"You have to be strong, again, Reed. Like you were for me back in Africa," Shizuka said knowing his mind would hear her words. "You have to be stronger now than you were then. There are kids that need you to teach them how to survive. You're not sick, like those men were. Those kids might die without your help. You know better than anyone how to survive." she whispered into his ear.

Shizuka could feel his sleeping nod against her chest. "They also need your protection. They're not soldiers. The dead are one thing, but things have gotten bad. Please, Reed, just be strong for me, one more time."

His arms surrounding her in a loving embrace, Shizuka felt tears in her eyes. "I love you, Reed."

"I love you...Shizuka. Tell Rika I love...too..." Reed said nuzzling his face into her.

Shizuka patted his head. "Rika loves you too."

Takashi stood up and yawned, even though it was early evening. They'd been working hard on the range downstairs. "Oh, just talkin' about work makes me tired," he said laughing.

Rei poked her finger into his unwounded side. "So, the world ended, and you've yet to change."

Takashi huffed eliciting a laugh from both Saeko and Rei. "So, what's for dinner," he asked his stomach growling.

Kiriko was stirring a large pot in the kitchen with a metal spoon. "Reed got up early this morning and started some American-style chili. It smells really good," she said leaning over the pot.

The aroma wafting over to him, it took effort for Takashi not to drool.

"It smells really good," Saeko said surprised. "I don't think I've ever had that kind of chili, though," she said curiously.

Brion came through the door yawning, making Takashi chuckle. His day seemed to consist of naps and raiding his hidden stash of sweets. "Oh! Gary made chili," the older man said excitedly.

Rei nodded. "I didn't know he could cook."

Rika laughed aloud. "He's pretty good. Chili is an American dish, think if it as a curry-like soup. Beef or pork, beans, peppers, tomato-based sauce, and different spices. You eat it with crackers, some cheese mixed in, or add some sour cream, if we had any."

So, after rising from the table, the teens sat back down as Kiriko began to dish out everyone's portion, but Brion and Rika remained standing.

"Wow," Rei said after her first bite. "It's kinda mild, until it goes down. All the heat hits you for just a second at the end."

Takashi was too busy shoveling the mixture into his mouth to comment, as was Kohta.

Saeko nodded thoughtfully. "I guess because it's been cooked so slowly and simmering all day."

Kiriko nodded as she fed herself. "Most of the things he added were canned, with the exception of the meat. He said that in a tight spot, you can make it out of canned meat as well."

Rika nodded in agreement. "Back in the service, we made some out of spam. It wasn't as good as this, but a lot better than MRE's."

Saya thought to herself. "It would be handy to get hold of some of those military dinners, though."

"Why's that," Rei and Saeko spoke simultaneously, and Takashi smiled. The two were becoming very close.

"Well, they're high in nutrients and vitamins, as well as calories. They provide all your daily supplements, and are dehydrated, so you don't even need heat to prepare them. Just water," Saya said.

Rika nodded. "They get old after a while, but are really useful. It's a food source that doesn't spoil. Reed's got some downstairs. He also has some water treatment equipment."

Takashi was a bit confused. "Why's he have water-treatment equipment," he asked.

Brion spoke up then. "We went camping a lot back in the states. Hunting as well. Sometimes, you'll find a source of water, and parasites as well as germs reside in the water. They're water storage devices, like bottles and canteens, that has a spout you drink from, that will treat the water as you drink it. Kind of like a water filter on a faucet."

Takashi grinned. "Fuck yeah," he said laughing.

Saya nodded. "So, water won't be a problem, if we have to evacuate this place, as long as we have some source for it. Dad still has the dam under control, I guess, or we wouldn't have running water here. If we have to spend some time in the wilderness, at least we won't get dysentery."

Brion nodded. "He was paranoid, and stocked up on MRE's. The only real problem we have is that each person has to carry their own gear. Unless we can find a working vehicle, and that could be dangerous at this stage."

"Why was he paranoid," Rei asked.

Saeko laughed. "If he got caught up in some illegal things, he'd have to hidden out somewhere, Rei. He was a criminal. If he doesn't leave his hiding place while lying low, he can't exactly get to the grocery store."

Brion nodded. "I was over from the states to visit him when all this went down. If we were back in the states, especially West Virginia, we'd have our choice of places. It's a mountainous state," he explained. "There's still a lot of remote places there with rough terrain around them. They're not impossible to get to, but the population around them is low enough that it could be a relative safety net."

Takashi nodded. "Yeah, but we're thousands of miles from there, with no airplane or boat capable of making the trip."

Kiriko added her opinion. "A boat would be nice, or an island away from this. But that's a big risk to take," she said sadly.

The teens all nodded. "So, we're stuck until we figure out a good plan," Takashi said resigning himself.

There was a murmur of agreement.

Brion moved over to fiddle with the fire, while Kiriko prepared a bowl and went in search of her husband. Saya and Kohta sat down on a couch near the fire holding hands while speaking quietly. Rei and Saeko moved down the hall talking and joking with each other heading towards the room that the three now shared at night.

Takashi remained sitting at the table mulling things over in his mind. Tossing away the idea of a vehicle large enough to haul all the gear they would need, he decided they'd have to move out of the city on foot, each person carrying what they could. It was just safer. A large vehicle would draw a lot of unwanted attention from THEM and the living. It wasn't as though he wouldn't allow someone to join them, but things were bad, and the incident at Shintoko only strengthened his opinion of that. There would be people trying to rob or even kill them.

Takashi sighed, taking a sip of coffee. A boat wasn't a bad idea, but the EMP had probably fried them as well, and a boat to hold all of them would have problems as well, the same as if they remained in this house. Foodstuffs, fuel, and maintenance.

Takashi decided they should all be prepared to move out at a moment's notice, and have things prepared.

Takashi heard some distant pops in the distance. It was becoming more frequent those distant gunshots. Sometimes just a few, sometimes they ran on for quite some time, like people were fighting out there. They'd seen relatively few dead around the remote house, but he didn't know how long that would last.

Takashi shook his head sadly, taking a long pull form his fast-cooling coffee. They'd have to find some type of working radio and get in touch with the SDF to see if there were any safe-zones out there. It was the only real plan that made sense right now, especially in this country.

Standing up, Takashi stretched his left arm and side, the wound bothering him less and less every day. He was lucky it had been such a bad shot. Saeko's wound had turned out to be mostly superficial, just mostly a graze, and little more than skin-deep. He then turned down the hallway, and found himself smiling, wondering what sort of scene he'd walk in to find the two girls in.

The thought of the girls in any way made him smile. At least there was still some happiness for those left in this rotten world.

Rika walked into Reed's room, carrying a bowl of the steaming chili for Shizuka, who was lying next to Reed, his head cradled on her lap as she sang softly, some sweet song the nurse hoped would help bring him back.

Rika sighed, and sat the food on a nightstand next to the side of the bed Shizuka was on, and moved to the other side of the bed, before beginning to remove her military attire. "How is he," Rika asked as Shizuka finished her song.

Shizuka smiled picking up the bowl of the chili, took a bite, and swallowed before answering. "It hit him really hard this time, Rika. Maybe you should handle teaching the kids about guns," she suggested taking another bite.

Rika nodded. "They're adequate, now. Only a couple of them took any real coaching. Kohta's good, Saya's a natural, and that Saeko-girl is a natural with a pistol and decent with a rifle. Even Takashi can shoot pretty well, now, though I wouldn't want to see him try over any real distance," she finished sitting on the bed and placing her legs beneath the blankets, patting Reed's head in Shizuka's lap.

Swallowing a mouthful of her dinner, Shizuka smiled. "That's good. I'd like us to stay with the kids. Well...I suppose I shouldn't call them kids anymore."

"That's true enough," Rika replied. "It's sad to see, but they work well together, like a military unit should. Times are changing, and so must we."

"Well, Reed can teach them how to move around the city like he used to back in Africa," Shizuka suggested.

Scratching his short curly hair, Rika could only agree. "That would be excellent. I can do fine on my own, but even the locals down there were in awe of him. He's been doing it since he was a kid, after all."

Shizuka nodded. "With everything going on, we can't just walk down the streets anymore."

Rika sighed sadly. "Yeah. We'll have to scout ahead. There are some short-range radios downstairs, like we used to use on missions. We'll have to operate like a unit in hostile territory from now on. Even approaching a single person will be a hassle."

"What about batteries," Shizuka asked.

"They're military style. If you can't get hold of the proper batteries, regular 9-volt batteries are acceptable as well, though they're of shorter lifespan," Rika responded.

Finishing her food and laying the bowl on the nightstand Shizuka stretched her arms up above her head. "He's sleeping soundly, now. I had to give him four Halitol, and it still took some time to work."

Rika grimaced. "Too tough for his own good."

Shizuka nodded. "Maybe. He's much better than he used to be. I think it just really caught him off-guard this time."

Rika grunted. "Yeah. At least he didn't go cold this time. He was able to keep smiling at Alice."

Shizuka gently slid a pillow beneath Reed's head and got up off the bed. "I could use a shower," she said winking at Rika.

"I'll join you in a few," Rika said. "I wanted to spend a little time with him first."

Shizuka made her way over and kissed Rika on the forehead. "Kay," she said going into the bathroom, leaving them alone.

Rika pulled at Reed until she managed to lay his head on her stomach. "Idiot," she growled lovingly.

Reed's arms instinctively wrapped around her, and Rika sat there for several minutes merely listening to his breathing, and matching her own breaths with his. "I still love you, you stupid fuck," Rika said a hopeless smile on her face.

"Love you too, Rika," Reed said as Rika smiled. He'd been talking in his sleep for years, and it still brought a smile to her face to hear it.

Though Africa had been nearly pure hell on all three of them, it had had its pleasant moments. Especially that one terrible scene where they had finally found each other and none of the three cared any longer whether their relationship was acceptable in society. It had been a heavy cost on them, but Rika had gladly accepted it, as well had Shizuka.

Rika quashed her own bittersweet memories hard, remembering how sensitive of their thoughts and feelings Reed was. She didn't want his mind to drift back then at the moment. He was too fragile. Maybe with a little rest and some strong drinks they could reminisce about that sad, sweet moment, but not just right then.

"Sleep well, love," Rika said disentangling herself from the bear of a man, and making her way to the bathroom, it was complicated, after all, keeping two lovers.

As Takashi closed the door softly behind him and locked it, he heard a series of giggles, gasps, and soft moans from beneath the blankets of their bed.

In spite of himself, Takashi smiled, and quietly began to remove his clothing, then in complete stealth, made his way into the bathroom. He climbed into the shower and washed himself carefully after removing his bandages, the stitches holding the wound together as he carefully rinsed away the blood that occasionally leaked form it, and dried on his side.

After rinsing himself thoroughly, Takashi sat himself carefully in the soaking tub to work the soreness from his muscles. Who would have thought learning to shoot was work.

After his brain worked at it, he began to think of Reed when he had been shooting. The faraway look in his eyes, the intent concentration on his task, but his mindful surveyance of his surroundings. Takashi could see some of that in Kohta, but it seemed as if Reed treated it more like a religion.

Takashi realized he looked up to the big man, in more ways than one. His discipline, concentration, and utter faith in himself made Takashi more than a little envious. The way Shizuka and Rika looked at him... It was almost like the way Rei and Saeko looked at him.

"Shit," Takashi said laughing. "I guess I kind of look up to the guy."

It was Reed's earnestness that Takashi admired most. Whether he was telling them how to field-strip their weapons or giving Takashi advice about Rei and Saeko...his voice always carried a conviction that he actually believed his own words, and didn't just say them for the sake of speaking. He was completely honest with himself.

Sighing, Takashi got up out of the tub, and dried himself carefully and wrapped a towel around his waist before making his way back to the room he shared with Saeko and Rei.

Takashi picked a chair next to the bed, and sat down near the headboard, listening to Saeko moan and pant, as Rei plied her ministrations upon her body. He watched the movements beneath the blankets, and smiled inwardly.

Saeko's movement brought the blanket down off her face, though her eyes were closed in pleasure, and he gently began to pet and stroke her hair.

At this, Saeko's eyes snapped open before settling on Takashi, and he saw the nervousness in them.

Takashi shook his head, and smiled, placing his finger over his lips in the supplication for silence, as he watched, his hand running over Saeko's hair.

Saeko blushed deeply, and with a final moan, climaxed one last time, her eyes going back in her head as she shivered violently.

Takashi blushed slightly at Rei's gentle laughter beneath the blankets, and soon, Saeko relaxed until she was sleeping softly.

Takashi leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, as Rei threw the blanket aside, licking her lips.

Her expression at seeing Takashi merely setting there was one of utter shock. "Takashi...I..."

Takashi shook his head, as he stood up, and came to sit next to Rei at the foot of the bed, and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you get along," Takashi said softly, and he felt Rei pull him tightly against her.

"We," Rei began before Takashi laid his finger across her lips.

"You two need time to each other," Takashi said smiling. "I'm not the only one in this relationship, Rei. I appreciate you both for who, and what you are. No more, no less. As long as you're happy, I don't care what you two do together. You're both a part of me, as much as you're a part of each other. I've spent time with you alone, on occasion, and time with Saeko alone too. Do you think I'd be jealous because you spent some time with each other," Takashi asked.

Smiling widely, Rei shook her head. "I guess I was just being silly," she said laying her head on his shoulder.

"Saeko looked at me like I was crazy, when she saw me," Takashi laughed. "So don't feel bad. But I just hushed her, and stroked her hair while you made her climax. I think she understood too, then."

Rei, still wearing her clothing as opposed to Saeko's nudity nodded against Takashi. "I understand," she said happily.

"Rei, are you okay," Takashi said tugging at her clothing.

"Cramps," Rei said sadly, and Takashi took her hidden meaning.

Takashi nodded. "Care to help me wrap this damn wound back up," he asked cheerfully.

Rei nodded. "Sure, Takashi, someone's got to take care of you. I'm surprised you were able to bathe by yourself," she said sniffing him and smelling the fresh scent of soap.

As Rei gently wrapped his chest with gauze, Takashi silently thanked Reed for his advice those few short days ago. He'd come to understand things about himself he hadn't before, just from a few simple words.

Kohta held Saya breathlessly in the warm soaking tub, a smile on his face.

"That was nice," Saya said laughing. "I'm glad I thought of it," she finished.

Kohta nodded. "The warm water does make it interesting, and relaxing," Kohta said blushing slightly.

Saya laughed. "Stop blushing, Kohta. You should be used to this by now," Saya said kissing him on the cheek.

Kohta chuckled softly. "I still blush when I see you without your clothes on," Kohta replied. "Anytime we talk about sex, I can't help it."

Saya pinched his cheek. "Well," she said smiling, "it is kind of cute."

Kohta wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly.

Saya returned them embrace with gusto.

Sitting quietly, the steam and hot water relaxing and enjoyable they held each other for quite some time.

"Kohta," Saya said.

"Yeah," Kohta replied.

"You'll stay with me," Saya asked her cheeks now the ones flushed.

"I promise," Kohta said smiling. "As long as you'll have me."

Saya's blush deepened.

"I love you, Saya, you and no other," Kohta said kissing her forehead.

Pouting, Saya pinched his cheek. "I love you too, you idiot."

Kohta began to chuckle.

"What's so funny," Saya said trying not to laugh, but finding his chuckle infectious. "Stop laughing, it's contagious," Saya said her laugh sounding wonderful in his ears.

"You're kinda cute, when you pout," Kohta said still laughing.

"Shut up, moron," Saya said laughing as well.

After their fit of laughter had passed, Kohta helped Saya up out of the tub, and they began to dry each other off, then made their way into the room they shared, lying down on the soft bed, and pulling up a blanket, sleep soon found them, despite their youth.


	5. Chapter 5

Placing his left hand on his throat, on the pressure plate that activated the microphone to be more precise, Kohta spoke softly, the machinery carrying his vocal patterns from his throat, not his mouth. "We're c lear at the rear."

Reed's voice came back clearly with just a hint of radio squawk. "Good. Clear on the objective as well," he said, having gone to scout the market up ahead.

"Sniper, clear as well," came the feminine voice of Rika, holding a position in a tall tree watching over the store's position.

"Roger," Reed's voice came to Kohta's ear piece again. "Ransack team, head in," he said giving the order for Kohta and Saeko to make their way carefully but quickly into the store to join him. "Sniper, keep an eye out. No surprises. Don't engage unless you're discovered."

"Roger," Came Rika's voice as Kohta and Saeko made their way, hunkered down, into the store.

"Stinks," Kohta said quietly not keying his mic.

Saeko nodded. "The fresh food had spoiled."

"Ransack team. Rendezvous at the canned section," Reed's voice buzzed into Kohta's ears again, and he and Saeko made their way over to Reed who awaited them at the canned section.

Reed dropped his pack for them to fill. "Get what we need," he said nodding to his pack. "Contact me when you're finished. I'm going to check out back of the store."

Kohta nodded. "Right." This was really just a test, and an opportunity for them to get used to the military maneuvers, but Kohta was taking it seriously, as he had when Reed helped him improve his combat-shooting.

As Reed moved away, Kohta and Saeko began to pick up the things Saya had indicated on her list, half of which was food, the other half not. As they filled Reed's pack, they found they were finished with the canned food. Saeko keyed up. "Team finished in canned goods. Moving to cleaning supplies and toiletries."

"Hold," came Rika's urgent squawk.

Kohta dropped to one knee, and pointed his rifle at the end of the isle, Saeko doing the same beside him, her rifle at the ready, but her hands twitching. Kohta could tell she missed the feel of her sword, even though it hung belted to her left hip.

"Situation," Reed's voice piped into Kohta's ear.

"Pack of dead. Moving down the street. Grouped. At least twenty," Rika replied on the radio.

"Location from team to sniper," Reed shot back over the radio.

"Objective side, ten meters out. Beginning to move beyond objective," Rika's voice crackled over the radio.

"Give me a quick 360," Reed's voice replied.

A few moments later Rika replied. "360 clear. Pack moved beyond objective. Exercise caution."

Kohta and Saeko got up, moving slowly now, and moved to the toiletries aisle, and began to fill their own packs. "Kohta," Reed's voice came as they were finishing up.

"Yes," Kohta replied.

"Bring me my pack," Reed's voice came. "Location rear exit."

Kohta nodded at Saeko and made his way there quietly, and handed Reed his pack.

"There's been movement in here recently," Reed said as he squatted, and pointed to an opened can of soda on a shelf. "It's still fizzing."

Kohta nodded solemnly. "Other survivors. I wonder what happened."

Reed indicated a mess in the store near the exit. "They left in a hurry. Dropped a few things."

Kohta thought for a moment. "If it was Dead, they would have been careful not to drop anything and left carefully. Must have been other survivors," his tone asked.

"Right on the money. Meet up with Saeko. I'm going to follow this trail on a hunch. Grab some kind of shoulder bag. Grab a few extra of the canned goods."

Kohta nodded, grabbing one of the grocery bags you used to have to purchase and could sling over the shoulder, met up with Saeko and nodded for her to follow. He began to fill the shoulder bag with some of the things from the 'essentials' list Saya had given him. Kohta signaled Saeko to stay put, then made his way back to Reed and held the bag out for him.

Reed took it nodding, and handing Kohta the larger pack of canned goods. "Back to Saeko," he said quietly.

Kohta nodded, hefting the heavy pack of cans as he made his way back to Saeko. "Ransack team, in position," Saeko said as they stood near the door.

"Roger," came Reed's voice over the radio. "Sniper, is the route clear."

"Roger," Rika's reply came back curtly. Kohta thought she knew something was up.

Reed gave the signal for Kohta and Saeko to make their way, swiftly, back to Rika, and they did. Reed was holding his position at the doorway, covering their back. Making their way back into the alley, Kohta turned around, to cover the direction of the market, while Saeko covered the other end of the alley, where it turned sharply.

"Sniper, Ransack team," Reed's voice came over the radio. "I'm going to scout something out. I'll Rendezvous up with you at JOHNNY ON THE SPOT," he said indicating the nearby tower with a stone wall Reed had been using to scout the area before the arrival of the teens.

"This had better be important," Rika said over the radio, and Kohta could hear the displeased tone in her voice, even with the static.

"May not be," Reed said over the radio. "Gut feeling, again. Besos."

Kohta could hear Rika's growls from his station, several feet below her. Besos...that was spanish for something...

Kohta held his position as he heard rustling, then finally heard Rika drop down behind him. "Take care," Rika's voice was in stereo from mic, and being so close to her.

Reed grunted over the radio.

"Let's move out," Rika said quietly.

Kohta nodded as he began to turned, and they moved carefully up the alley, until Rika took point, passing Saeko, and Kohta tapped her on the shoulder. Saeko stood up and followed closely after Rika, while Kohta held the drag position.

They made their way carefully down alleys, across yards, over small walls where they would have decent cover, and along the larger hedges, where they would at least have concealment. They ran into just a few DEAD, who were dispatched quietly by Saeko's now drawn sword to conserve ammunition.

Another few minutes found them climbing the ruined building JOHNNY ON THE SPOT. It was the code name for the concrete tower Reed had busted the lock on, which had a balcony up top, and only one entrance. It made a good location for spotting or sniping. The lock had been replaced, but the bottom door was being manned by Rei, who let them in, after confirmation from the radio, her father up at the top of the tower with binoculars, spotting around the area.

"Lock it," Rika ordered Rei. "We'll take a rest up top."

Rei nodded as she locked the bolt, and they made their way up the tower, which Kohta guessed, had been used as some type of spotting tower for someone who flew remote-controlled planes. There was a little equipment up top, but it was in it's own yard, with a low wall surrounding it. Some rich people must have had it built, or something, but it's true purpose remained a mystery to Kohta.

Finally reaching the top, everyone unslung their rifles, and sat down, backs against the inner wall, taking their ease, Tadashi joining them.

"Did you get everything," Rei asked.

Saeko nodded. "Pretty much. Canned goods were easy. As were the hygiene products and most of the cleaning supplies. No dice on laundry soap, we're still good on it, and we had no additional room."

Rika fixed Kohta with a look. "What's Reed checking on," she demanded quietly.

Everyone looked at Kohta.

"Well," Kohta began, "someone had been in there recently, Reed showed me, and they'd left in a hurry."

"Is that all," Rei asked incredulously.

"They made a lot of noise leaving," Kohta answered.

This brought everyone a pause. No one who saw the DEAD made noise leaving, unless you felt like being followed.

"Fill me in," Rika said sagely.

Kohta did, telling them the details he and Reed had seen.

"That is strange," Rika said. "The DEAD are slow, so there's no need to dash for it, unless you're being careless."

"Could be," Tadashi added, "they felt the threat was one to come quickly. And if they sacrificed supplies and made noise like you're suggesting, that would mean there was no need to cover it. Something else was making noise already. We're all mindful of that, even in how we speak in hushed tones."

Kohta nodded. "Reed felt it was important for some reason."

"Information is a valuable asset. He was right to check it out. If they're still alive, they may know something we don't. We're in a relatively remote location. Most survivors won't be coming atop that hill. The mansion is on the backside toward the river, and there are no houses up there, no stores, nothing to get supplies from. Just an open park," Rika said surveying the situation aloud.

Saeko nodded. "It may be good we're so remote, even though we're within the city," Saeko added as in the far distance they heard the sounds of gunshots.

"It sounds really bad out there," Rei sad nodding in the general direction of the noise.

"The gunshots sound like a firefight," Rika added. "I've been in a few. But they're spaced apart. If there's fighting going on out there, most of it should end up being more like a brawl we wouldn't be able to hear. Even though Shintoko was ransacked of weapons, there aren't that many out there. It just shows how much infighting is going on."

"Do you think there's someone clearing out the DEAD," Tadashi asked.

Rika nodded. "Probably, but it would have to be concentrated group of people. They would need a lot of people not to be overwhelmed. You would have to engage quickly, then disengage, switch in fresh troops, and engage again. It's a moving fight."

Kohta nodded. "I agree. And they probably wouldn't be using guns. The outbreak was bad enough that there are alot of the DEAD out there."

"They've got some kind of pack mentality as well," Saeko added. "We haven't seen small groups of THEM for quite some times. It appears there are large roaming packs."

Tadashi nodded. "There's a few large groups moving out there that I've seen," he said hefting the binoculars. "A lot on the main roads, just roaming around. Makes them pretty easy to predict."

"A boy and his dog," Kohta said naming off the apocalyptic movie with the roaming zombie things, everyone fighting over supplies, and the cultic societies.

Rika laughed. "I'm sure Reed would agree. He loved that movie."

Rei and Saeko were puzzled. "I've never seen that one," Rei admitted.

Tadashi laughed. "Talking dog. Boy meets girl. Girl tricks boy, things go bad, boy's dog gets hurt and is nearly dying, and boy kills girl to feed sick dog so dog can recover," he said summing up the main plot of the movie.

Rei snickered, and Saeko laughed aloud.

"Sniper, come in," Reed's voice came over the radio.

"Sniper, go ahead," Rika answered.

"Get on the walk. Contact Brion or Shizuka. Need to know what highest priority of medication I could pick up," Reed answered.

"Find a Pharmacy," Rika replied.

"Trade," Came Reed's solemn answer.

Rika nodded, and took the short-wave radio from her belt. "This is Scavenge, contacting Alamo, come in."

Kiriko's voice was the answering one. "This is Alamo, go ahead, Scavenge."

"Alamo, we need to talk to Dolly Parton," Rika replied with the still-running joke.

"Roger that Scavenge, will King Arthur do," Kiriko replied amused. The running joke about Reed's brother Brion and his sword with armor.

"Roger that Alamo, if the king is in the castle, I repeat if king is in castle," Rika replied.

The radio came to life once more. "Shut the fuck up and tell me what you want," came the deep voice of the wiry American.

"Got a trade going, Alamo, need to know what kind of pharmaceuticals, probably prescription grade, we're in need of. Priorities only," Rika replied into the radio.

"Antibiotics, painkillers, sedatives, prophylactics," the reply came. "In that order."

Rika toggled her radio switch on her throat and repeated what Kohta thought was a list ending with a joke.

The radios were silent for a few minutes before Kohta heard Reed key back up. "Roger. No luck on sedatives. Returning to JOHNNY ON THE SPOT."

Kohta laughed. "Well, he got the antibiotics and painkillers,"

"Probably prophylactics too, knowing him," Tadashi added.

Kohta laughed nervously as Tadashi looked confused, bit it was Rika who proved to be uncouth.

"Hell, they're a necessity. There's been more sex in that house than in a rabbit cage full of Viagra," she laughed.

Tadashi looked confused for a moment as he realized his daughter was in that proverbial house.

Shots rang out, and close by.

Everyone but Rika sat shock still for a moment, but the soldier collected her rifle, went out the door onto the balcony, sighting her rifle in the direction of the shots, followed just seconds by Kohta.

Pop...pop... pop pop pop pop...

"Reed," Rika's short wave radio.

"Not mine," he said his breathing strange. "Close. Moving to investigate. No return fire. Survivor against Dead most likely. Will report back with new information."

Rika surveyed the scene with her rifle, as everyone gathered in anticipation behind her, Tadashi kept an eye out with his binoculars.

"Got you in my sights, Reed," Rika said.

"There's a single female survivor. I need you rolling deep with me," Reed said to Rika over the radio in the British, often military, term for having someone's back.

"Roger that," Rika said firing her first round, with a follow-up shot.

Kohta threw his rifle up, and flipped the side-hanging magnifier up, watching the street Rika was firing upon. Reed was moving down it swiftly, firing at the DEAD further up the street, as Rika apparently killing the ones surrounding him.

Kohta could tell he was about eight blocks away, and someone had run into a pack of the DEAD.

As Kohta watched, abruptly Reed let his rifle fall to his side, in an opened space, and scooped somone up, to throw her over his left shoulder, and drew his side arm firing two shots across from him, he jumped, catching hold of the street's wall at some home, and propelled himself and his rescue over the wall.

"What's the status," Rika asked, then changed the magazine in her weapon. Kohta had opted for an ACOG sight, like the one on Reed's weapon, with a magnifier to go with it, so he hadn't felt comfortable shooting that far. Rika's weapon was also of much more significant caliber compared to his.

A few quick shots ran out. "She's relatively unharmed. Shaken up. A few dead within this walled yard. Got em'. We're both uninjured. Status on the DEAD," Reed asked over the radio.

Rika shook her head. "Congregating around the wall and testing the nearby gate. Gate appears to be locked," she said back over the radio.

"We-shit," Reed said and it was then they heard two shots in quick succession.

"Bugging out of here, house overrun with DEAD," Reed's jumbled response came.

Kohta saw what he thought was them going over the other side of the wall.

"Should we meet up with him," Rei asked.

"No," Rika said. "He has to shift and move. We need to stay here and provide him with intel on where to go. He'll have to rely on the girl a bit as well. He can't read the Kanji."

Tadashi nodded. "The next big intersection to our left is clear," he said nodding. "It looks like they'll be able to follow another alley most of the way here."

Rika began to relay the directions, her position on the balcony changed, keeping Reed and his his path within her scope.

"Straight shot, now, all clear," Rika said as Reed turned up the last alley.

"Right," Reed said.

"What's the condition of the girl," Tadashi sent over the radio concerned.

A few moments passed. "School girl. Uniform. Miku Yuuki. Unharmed. Very shaken."

Rei gasped. "She was with..." she glanced at her father. "Mr. Shido."

Tadashi gritted his teeth audibly. "I hope he's dead."

"Confirming arrival at JOHNNY ON THE SPOT," came Reed's transmission just a few minutes later.

Kohta headed down to the door at the base of the tower, and unlocked the door to allow Reed and his charge inside, then closed the door behind them.

Reed sat down, and wiped sweat from his face, and took a deep breath, and Rika was there to check on him.

Kohta handed Miku his canteen. "Do you need some water," he asked.

Miku nodded, and drank deeply from the canteen. Kohta turned, and caught Rei's attention with his eye, then nodded at Miku.

"Right," Rei said coming down the steps. "Hey Miku, it's Rei. Haven't seen you in a while," Rei said making conversation.

As Kohta went upstairs Rei noticed the make-up covered bruises on Miku's face. Rei sat down beside her in the base of the tower. "They hit you," Rei asked quietly.

Miku turned to Rei, tears being held back in her eyes and nodded.

"Here's your knife back," Reed said pulling a a red swiss army knife from his left arm wiping it clean of his blood and handing to Miku. "Be careful who and where you stab there, Ms. Ripper," he laughed.

Miku nodded up at the man. "I'm sorry. I thought you were one of THEM when you got there," she said.

"Sok. I am pretty ugly," Reed said over his shoulder as he headed upstairs, Rika following him closely.

Rei prodded Miku playfully. "Hey, don't worry, no one's gonna hit you anymore," she said.

Miku pulled her legs up against her chest. "I don't really want to talk about it, Rei," she said.

Rei nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "I understand. Rest while you can, we're going to have to move soon," Rei said as she pulled out a paper-wrapped sandwich and handed it to Miku. "We've still got some fresh food, and it looks like it's been a while since you've had any," Rei said brightly.

Miku accepted the samwich with a smile. "Yeah," she said around a mouthful of leftover pork sandwich.

Rei nodded. "Just listen to what we tell you. We've got a place not really far away from here. Hot water too," Rei smiled.

Miku stopped chewing. "Hot water," she said incredulously.

Rei nodded.

"I didn't die out there, did I," Miku asked.

"Hope not," Rei said making a show out of checking Miku's pulse.

Miku laughed softly. "Thanks Rei," she said sadly. "It's just been hard."

Rei nodded. "I understand. If you need to talk, I'm willing to listen."

Rei heard Reed's voice in her ear-piece. "Ante up."

Rei picked up her rifle from beside her and looked at Miku. "Hurry up. We're moving out," she said pointing at the wire hanging from her ear.

Miku licked the sauce from her fingers and nodded as Reed came downstairs. "Rei, stick to her," he said indicating Miku.

Everyone else had soon filed down the stairs. "Everyone stay on my six," Reed said. "They're stirred up out there after my fight at the O.K. corral. We need to move fast. You good," Reed asked indicating Miku.

Miku nodded. "I used to run track," she answered.

Reed nodded and glanced up at Rika. "Let's go," he said opening the door, his rifle flying to shoulder as he covered the area while everyone else took position outside.

Rei exited last, locking the the door's additional outer latch. It wouldn't keep out the living, as it was just a sliding latch, but it would keep the DEAD out, incase they needed to use it again. Rei saw the sound thought of that as she scanned the area. The living would break the lock, if they couldn't get in. At least this way, the door wouldn't be destroyed.

As Reed began to move them down their route home, Miku stayed at Rei's side, their position being in the middle, with Kohta and her father covering them from the rear, Rika was a few paces behind Reed, her rifle at the ready.

Locking the gate behind him, Tadashi shook his head. It had been one event after the other today, and it was only just beyond noon.

"Reed," Tadashi heard Shizuka cry as the buxom nurse came bounding down the walkway and leapt on him, and for all appearance sake, attemtping to smother him with breasts.

Setting her down Reed handed her a small bag of bottles. "No sedatives," he said smiling at her.

"Oh, you found someone to trade with," Shizuka asked.

"Hunch turned out right. Local brothel is still standing. About five girls, and the two bouncers are still there. They ran a small medication racket out of it too, so they were too happy to trade with me. Seems they lost their groceries last trip out," Reed said.

Tadashi saw Reed lock eyes with Shizuka for a moment. "We picked up a survivor, last of Mr. Shido's group. Check her out to make sure she's okay," he said pointedly.

Tadashi nodded appreciating Reed's scrutinizing eye. He had seen the bruises the girl had tried to cover with make-up as well. Tadashi also suspected she had been subjected to rape.

Reed took another bottle from his pocket and handed it to Shizuka, then whipsered in her ear. When he leaned back she nodded.

"Miku, let me check you out and see how you're doing," Shizuka said hugging the girl to herself playfully and pulling her inside the house.

Reed pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket took one and lit it, handing the pack to Rika, as the other kids went inside the house.

Rika pulled one out as well, and handed the pack to Tadashi as he came up to stand next to the soldiers.

Tadashi gratefully accepted the pack and soon the three were smoking as Takashi came out of the house, wearing a pistol on his hip, and walking as if his wound gave him no trouble.

"What's up," Takashi asked.

Rika began to relay the events that had transpired.

Takashi nodded. "It's good to see Miku alive. I had a friend who was really into her, though he's gone, now."

Tadashi smiled. He was sure Rei and Takashi were together, now and was proud for it. He'd always liked Takashi.

"Spill it, Reed," Rika said.

Puffing heavily at his cigarette, Reed nodded. "Brothel guys gave me some more of the situation. The mob at Shintoko dissolved into smaller ones. The city's being run, right now, by decent sized gangs that formed there. Some people by occupations or unions, other by who the fuck knows. Anyway, it's not good. It's like being in south-central L.A. back in the 90's."

Tadashi grunted. "That's really not good."

Takashi pinched his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "No it's not. Cuts out on a lot of escape plans. Means if we have to leave, we'll do it on foot. A vehicle large enough for us all would draw too much attention, and with things like this, violence."

Rika shook her head, and Tadashi handed her another cigarette, it had been a few days since they'd had tobacco. "No kidding. The Yakuza chose this location well, for it's relative remoteness in this crisis."

"I picked the house," Reed said flipping his cigarette down and grinding it in with his foot. "But Takashi's right on the money. This screws us in a lot of ways. We'll have to make contact with the SDF somehow. They'll probably have some kind of Navy patrol going on. Chances are, to be evacuated, we'll have to move downriver to the coast. There are some statesmen ships here as well, and the base on Okinawa, if it's still standing."

Takashi shook his head. "Yeah, but where do we find a working Radio capable of reaching them?"

Rika patted the walkie at her side. "If we alternate one of these out at a time, on scan, we can pick up and communicate with them if they get in our range. We'll be able to hear them eventually, but we won't be able to broadcast to them until they're relatively close."

Tadashi nodded. "Chances are they'll get another plan into place and put up an emergency broadcast. Last I knew, the emperor was still living. Politicians have a tendency to try and be heroes on the backs of police and soldiers for votes."

"I like your cynicism," Reed laughed.

"Sad thing is it's realism," Tadashi agreed laughingly.

Reed offered a cigarette to Takashi to his great confusion. "Worried it'll kill you, or that Tadashi will write you a ticket," he asked of the younger man.

Takashi laughed, and took the cigarette, and lit it, causing him to cough for a moment, eliciting hoots of laughter from the older ones around.

"Helped with my throbbing head," Takashi said taking a much smaller puff then blowing it out.

"Don't go crazy with em', like Rika," Reed said. "They're addicting. Though I brought a carton with me."

"I think I love you," Tadashi said in feigning a smitten expression.

"My hero," Rika laughed.

Takashi took another experimental puff and flipped the ashes. "I don't think I'll make a habit of it, then."

Tadashi nodded at that. He wished he wouldn't have.

"Best thing about zombie apocalypse," Reed asked of them.

"No more anti-smoking freaks," Rika said relief in her voice.

"No more reality shows," Tadashi spoke up. "Rei and her mother nearly killed me with those. Who cares about someone whose only claim to fame was sleeping with a politician in some scandal."

Takashi laughed. "No more j-pop. I hate that crappy, pop culture music."

Reed laughed at that. "No joke."

"How about you, Reed," Takashi asked.

"The comfort that the most of the people who were associated with the series of 'Twilgiht' movies are dead," he said laughing.

Takashi laughed so hard he dropped the remnants of his cigarette.

"Yeah, that's when vampires went from being beast to bitch," Takashi responded doing his best to compose himself.

Sighing thoughtfully, Tadashi took his new found pack of cigarettes, and headed into the house. His lack of understanding on some of these comments was showing his age.

Reed lit another cigarette, which was unusual for him, as Rika well knew. He only smoked socially, most of the time.

"What's wrong, love," Rika asked despite Takashi standing there.

"Long-range communication. They had some at Shintoko, and it looks like I'm going to have to go get it," he said taking a long puff from a cigarette, burning it nearly a quarter of the way down.

Takashi shook his head. "You can't go alone," he said firmly.

Reed shook his head. "I don't have much of a choice. I'm sure Shintoko's not overrun. That's an enemy camp, as far as I'm concerned, and you should know this best since those fucks shot your mom."

Takashi was a bit taken aback, but still resolute. "I understand that. But it's just too risky for you to go it alone."

Rika shook her head. "I don't like you going it alone, either."

Reed took another deep drag. "I'm probably the only one who can get into the camp unnoticed. I guess I can have an escort, and we can set some shit up, but it is imperative we get hold of some kind of communication device. Rika, you're the V.I.P. here."

Rika nodded. "I'm still in service with the SDF and I have codes for emergency extraction of need be. Those can be written down, though."

"Extraction isn't going to be possible," Reed said sadly. "Shintoko was armed with some heavy weaponry. The madam at the brothel said they'd seen a chopper get shot down. I'm glad you're willing to help, Takashi, but make no mistake, we're not going to be fighting the DEAD. We're going to be fighitng the living. I'm just calculating plans, at the moment, no moving on them. That would be a hard nut to crack. Shintoko was heavily fortified, and if things have devolved as far as people shooting down the SDF, I'm sure their approach to civilians is becoming more hostile."

Takashi nodded. "Do you think they've sent some ground teams into the city," he asked.

Rika nodded. "I'm sure there's some groups scouting around. The base at Okinawa may have as well, to an extent."

Reed nodded. "Rika, we need you to have a shortwave broadcast of an emergency code, and a Rendezvous code. This Alamo needs to remain a secret, so we'll go it at JOHNNY ON THE SPOT. I'm sure they've still got some working GPS units. So the gps coords will have to do. Wouldn't you both agree," Reed asked dropping the butt of his cigarette.

Rika nodded as did Takashi to Rika's satisfaction. Takashi was quickly developing a mind for these things. He was still a little green, but his improvement was coming in leaps and bounds. If he ever joined the military he could do very well.

"Right," Takashi said. "I'm doing okay with my wound. I think I should be at this meeting as well, everyone that's been with me has trusted me with their life."

Rika nodded as well. "I agree. Plus it'll be good to have an opinion from someone outside the military there."

Reed nodded, and lightly clapped his hand to Takashi's wound, the boy only wincing slightly. "You're lucky it was a floating rib that broke. They heal very quickly. You should be able to keep up. We're going to move with purpose through this, you understand. Rika, if you would, get hold of a team. And give them the Rendezvous point. I'm sure they won't approach it if we're there first, so I'm going to go help Takashi get ready for this op. Contact us when they've arrived."

Rika nodded, took out the shorter range radio and began to transmit.

Finally arriving downstairs, Reed began to lay out equpment and clothing for Takashi.

"You sure this a good idea," Takashi asked nervously.

"No," Reed answered simply.

"I get you, but information is very valuable right now. It seems we've got no choice," Takashi admitted.

"It's okay to be nervous. That's what you're really worried about," Reed said beginning to modify some of the equipment.

Takashi nodded. "Yeah..."

Reed nodded. "So am I. That feeling in the tips of your fingers will never go away. The stomach can sometimes cramp. We'll get you outfitted, chow real quick, and then wait. The waiting is the worst of it. Waiting involves nothing to do, which leaves you time to think, and sometimes those thoughts are dangerous."

Takashi slipped on the belt, along with the BlackHawk thigh rig holster for the pistol, clipping it around his thigh after clipping it to the belt. It held not only the Beretta, but also the silencer that could be affixed to the barrel. He clipped another one to this other thigh, this one modified to hold the magazines for the pistol.

"So what do I do about it," Takashi asked.

"Just don't think about it. Talk to someone if need be. Play a game of cards. Depending on the ETA, I may suggest finding one of those girls of yours," Reed answered handing Takashi the tactical vest which held the rifle's ammunition, as well a pocket with elastic loops for shotgun ammunition, all of which were filled. Takashi zipped up the vest and patted it making sure it fit him, and none of the flaps that held the ammunition in were loose.

"So just ignore it, until it's time to deal with it," Takashi asked.

"Pretty much. I expect at least two hours wait until they contact us to let us know they're there. Some time to get there, and once there, time to make sure everything's clear. Additionally, they'll want some buffer time to prepare in case it's a trap. The wait will be substantially shorter if they're familiar with Rika, but the military is fairly big. Chances are it will be a small scouting team, or a small platoon of specialized infiltration soldiers," Reed explained.

"What do you think the situation will be like," Takashi asked.

"My honest opinion, is that I fully expect things to be completely fucked, same as always. If i expect the worst, any surprises I run into are always pleasant. It's a cynical view, but it saves a lot of disappointment," Reed said handing Takashi a pump-action shotgun. "Mossberg. Safety's on the back. Sling it over your back. Additional back up," Reed explained slinging it's identical over his shoulder, and picking up another one for Rika.

Takashi nodded. "So, why only three of us," Takashi asked.

"Essential personnel only. Rika's in the SDF, you've been approved as the leader, and I'm too worried to let you two go alone. You might make a move on my woman," Reed said playfully.

"Nah, Rika kinda scares me," Takashi admitted.

"Good. She should," Reed answered still laughing and handing Takashi his rifle.

Takashi check the rifle, making sure it didn't have a round chambered, then placed a full magazine in it, without chambering the round, and slung it on. it hanging across his abdomen, opposite of the shotgun on his back. He then picked up a pistol, added a magazine, chambered a round, switched it to safe, and slid it into the locking holster on his thigh. Reed handed him a silencer that would fit on the weapon, and Takashi slid it home in the specialized holster for it on the opposing thigh, sliding three magazines for the pistol in position beside it.

Reed eyed him over and nodded. He moved over to a drawer, and pulled out a knife, tossing it to Takashi, who placed it on the left side of his vest, in the molle slots it affixed to.

Takashi checked himself over once more, the pistol grip shotgun on his back, the rifle across his front, pistol at his side, the ammunition, his accessories, his knife, and his boots.

"Very good," Reed said looking him over. "Hey, wanna paint your face with camouflage ," he asked laughingly.

"Schwarzanegger, eat your heart out," Takashi replied laughing.

Reed smiled, turning to replace his spent ammunition, and to refill his magazines. "Kohta said it was like watching something out of an action movie when you saved, Miku," Takashi said. "Rika was shooting the DEAD around you, while you shot them from around Miku."

Reed stopped for a moment. "That girl's been hurt, Takashi. When we were coming back to the Rendezvous, she was nearly hysterical. After things went bad for her group, some of which Shizuka told me about, she was beaten pretty badly. As well as being raped. I picked up some profilactics at a brothel where I found some survivors, as well as some medication. I also happened to pick up some chemical abortant. Prostitution is an ugly business. Shizuka's handling it, and is going to see if the girl would want to abort if she turns out to be pregnant."

Takashi stopped momentarily. "Why'd they do that," he asked the older man.

Finishing his task, Reed turned around. "People crack under pressure, and that's the only real answer i can give you. I can't say as why. I just know they do. Shizuka understands, and is being delicate. But we can't exactly have someone pregnant right now. Who knows how long this shit will last, and pregnancy is just a liability we don't have the time for. It's better to abort it, now, than to have some hard times come up, and her lose a baby, which could possibly kill her. It makes me feel sick, just saying this..."

Takashi patted the older man on the shoulder. "Well," Takashi suggested, "I'm sure things will turn out the way they're supposed to. All we can really do is our best."

Reed nodded. "Rape...Genocide... no wonder hell's come to breakfast," he said nodding at the stairs, and soon the two were shutting the workshop trap-door behind them.

"Well, let's get something hot in us before we get the fuck out of here," Reed said.

Takashi smiled. "Rei's mom found a recipe book in the library on the second floor. She was making something Spanish."

Reed nodded. "As long as I don't have to eat with fucking Chopsticks."

The examination finished long ago, Shizuka held the sobbing girl to her chest. "It's okay, Miku. It's not your fault. It wouldn't have mattered, they just wanted to hurt you, honey," she said cooing to the sobbing girl.

Miku nodded against her chest and took a deep breath. "I'm not pregnant, though," Miku said sadly.

Shizuka looked at her curiously. "How do you know, honey," she asked.

Miku tapped her stomach sitting back. "I... I'm sterile," she said sadly. "My ovaries don't produce any..." she said her tears renewing, and Shizuka knew the recent events had just opened an old wound and spilled salt in it.

"Ssssh. Don't cry, now," Shizuka told the girl softly.

"Why not," Miku asked lashing out. "How do you know what it's like," the girl demanded.

Shizuka held the girl up and smiled sweetly for it, bringing up the painful memories. "After finishing college, I went into the Peace Corps. I was assigned to Africa, where I met Reed and Rika. They were in the military there on a peacekeeping assignment to protect our mission from the guerillas that had attacked it before. To be concise, some of the soldiers there raped me."

Miku held her hand over her mouth, and Shizuka held up a waste-basket as the girl vomited into it. "I'm sorry," Miku replied. "What happened, then," the girl asked needing to know.

"Rika was attacked as well. They held us down and raped us for hours," Shizuka said feeling tears fall down her cheeks. "They spat on us, called us whores, and beat us for no reason."

Miku's retching renewed for a moment. "I'm sorry Ms. Shizuka. I guess you do understand. What...what happened to the men that raped you," the girl asked.

"Reed came upon us then, the soldiers were drunk, and didn't have their weapons at hand. He killed each and every one of them. He even killed the ones who hadn't hurt us, just sat by and allowed it to happen," Shizuka said her voice hollow.

Miku nodded. "Good. The bastards who did that to me... they were killed by THEM."

Shizuka looked down at the girl. "So, yes, there are people who understand, dear. You just have to realize you were victimized. That doesn't mean to become a victim. You have to realize that it wasn't your fault, and move on. You're still alive, so just concentrate on living your life and finding happiness."

Miku nodded. "I'm not going to let this ruin my life," she said steel in her voice.

Shizuka smiled, and hugged Miku. "Now, let's get you changed into some clean clothes, and get you something to eat."

Miku nodded. "I...I told him what happened to me," Miku said her voice small.

Shizuka nodded, as she moved to get the girl some new clothing from the dresser across the room from the bed. "Oh."

Miku nodded. "He didn't look at me differently. He didn't pity me. He just accepted me," Miku said removing the rest of her clothing.

Shizuka nodded. "Reed really is a good man. He was molested as a child, so he understands."

Miku froze for a moment as she was pulling up a pair of jeans that were a little tight. "That's why he didn't look at me differently," she said.

Shizuka nodded. "A lot of people will look at you, and pity you, which doesn't help at all."

Buttoning the jeans now that were now pulled up, Miku took the shirt from Shizuka's hands, which fit a little tightly, and was slightly short, and left her bellybutton uncovered. "I was sleeping with them before they decided to start hurting me," Miku said sadly.

Shizuka kissed Miku on the forehead. "They hurt you because they were sick inside, Miku. You'll find someone one day that won't. As long as you're with us, no one will hurt you. We won't allow it."

Finding comfort in the older woman, and feeling better than she had in quite some times, MIku hugged the nurse, resulting in the bouncing and jiggling of breasts of significant proportions, they made their way to the kitchen to get something to eat, which smelled wonderful.

Shizuka grimaced as she saw Reed and Takashi wearing combat gear, leaning against the counter and eating the fajitas Kiriko had prepared.

"Kiriko," Reed said, "this is the best Mexican food I've had in years."

Takashi nodded. "I've never had fajitas before, but I think I want to, again."

Kiriko beamed. "Oh, my. Such handsome men complimenting my cooking. My husband will become jealous," she said playfully.

Tadashi mumbled around a mouthful of food, and the group laughed.

Shizuka was surprised to hear Miku laugh as well. It appeared the girl would overcome the tragedy that had befallen her.

"So why are only you three going," Kohta asked.

"Don't put all your eggs into one basket," Reed answered simply.

"Well, why not just have them come here," Rei asked.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket," Tadashi repeated now that his mouth wasn't full.

Rei and Kohta looked put off.

Takashi swallowed. "Listen, we're getting the situation from them. We have to meet at a remote location. It's just safer that way. It assures that our little safe-haven here isn't compromised, and makes sure we're not found out by survivors like the ones that jumped us the other day."

Everyone nodded their agreement at that.

Leaning close to Shizuka, Miku whispered in her ear. "So is Takashi the leader here, or is the big guy," she asked.

Shizuka replied in her whipser. "Well, the group wanted Takashi to lead us, and he is, but he's just relying on Reed and Rika's experience."

Miku nodded curiously. "Why haven't' the older people taken charge," she asked curiously.

"Age doesn't mean you're the right person for the job. Takashi's been very realiable, and we all trust him, even Reed and Rika," Shizuka replied simply.

"Miku," Rei said waving. "Come have some lunch," she said laughing.

Miku smiled and began forward as Kiriko handed her a plate with two fajitas on it.

Shizuka made her way over to Reed. "Where are you going," she asked.

"Going to meet up with a SDF unit in a couple hours. Try and get some info. Maybe make some contacts that'll see us out out of this town," Reed answered simply gesturing at Rika, who was sitting int he living room with a handheld radio an empty plate in her lap, and a cigarette in her other hand.

Shizuka nodded, and kissed Reed. "Just be careful."

"Pssht," Reed said his face slightly heated at being kissed in a room full of people. He'd always been shy about public displays of affection, as had Rika.

"Are you going too, Takashi," Shizuka asked pursing her lips together as if to kiss him.

Takashi blushed red, and began to slide down the counter away from Shizuka to her great amusment, her laughter teasing him.

"What's the signal," Reed asked Rika as they came to the intersection before the Rendezvous.

"I'm to contact them on the radio, and supposed to present myself," Rika said reaching for the radio.

Reed shook his head. "I'm not putting you out in the line of fire. I'm on point," Reed said walking out into the open street to Takashi's amazement.

Rika keyed up the radio. "Lima Lima. Wraith to Tango, Wraith to Tango, the farmer is in the Dell."

"Roger that wraith, we see your man," came the response and Takashi pegged the voice as feminine.

Reed made a show of opening a pack of cigarettes and spinning about his weapons hanging loosely, and lit the stick of tobacco.

"Tango to Wraith, your man's got balls," came the radio's squawk.

"Military, American, " Rika responded.

There was a brief broadcast, with what Takashi thought was laughter. "Roger that Wraith. We've got an Israeli in here familiar with Reed Maclelland."

Takashi pulled at Rika's shoulder questioningly as she put away her radio and they began to approach the concrete tower. "Israeli in the SDF," he asked.

Rika nodded. "The SDF is more like private military hired by the Japanese government. It's not unusual to have several nationalities, especially as instructors."

Takashi thought for a moment. "Doesn't it seem to you like we see more female than male survivors?"

Rika thought for a moment. "It's weird, but true. You may be on to something," Rika replied thoughtfully as they reached Reed, holding position at the bottom of the tower, still smoking and despite the fact there were probably unsaftied weapons pointed at him, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The tower's bottom door was unlocked by a young japanese officer. "I'm private Oumura," he man said gesturing to the stairs. "If you'd be so kind."

Reed eyed the man carefully. "Be careful where to point that boomstick, tin-horn," and strolled up the stairs followed by Rika's laughter.

Takashi nodded to the man, who looked perplexed as he took in his appearance and made his way up the stairs to where three fierce women waited.

"Sup Wraith," a woman who Takashi took as their leader greeted Rika with her codename.

"Why, hello, Rin. I can't say as it's very pleasant to see you again," Rika replied sweetly and Takashi nearly groaned over the tension in the room.

Reed nodded at the woman here who was obviously not japanese. "How's your dad, Savita," Reed asked nonchalantly. It seemed to Takashi that in this delicate situation Reed was wearing nonchalance like armor.

"Well, hello, Reed Maclelland, Black Wolf of the Savannah," she replied with venom.

Takashi felt his shoulders tighten as the other two women in the room snapped their eyes on Reed. Takashi had heard some of Reed's exploits from Rika. He had earned a court-marshal as a reward for his efforts, in which he was painted in a most unpleasant way. Rika had told him the truth, and said Reed had been right, but that politicians rarely cared about what was right, only what made them look good.

"Right," Takashi said drawing the stares of the soldiers, the japanese man included. "Can we get on to business, now," he said cooly.

"Kid's got balls," the woman who hadn't spoke yet said, and Takashi recognized her as the woman who had spoken to Rika on the radio earlier.

Takashi steeled himself as he met their gazes with something Reed had taught him called the 'thousand-yard-stare'.

"Tough one, no," Savita, the Israeli, replied.

Takashi ignored the jibe and kept up his stare, though it took great effort. This confrontation felt like a pot full of gasoline, placed precariously over a fire.

Reed shrugged, and lit another cigarette, and offered them to the soldiers on the other side of the room.

The radio operator snatched the pack away, and lit one herself. "Name's Yukio," she said around the stick of tobacco. "I'm the sergaent here. Savita's a corporal, and the two privates," she said nodding at them.

"Rika," Reed said inidcating her, "Takashi, the leader of a group of civillians we've attached ourselves to," he said nodding to Takashi. Reed left his own introduction out. Evidently he felt he needed none.

Reed squatted down, and Takashi followed suit along with Rika, taking their ease. Yukio detailed the two privates to duties, the female with the sniper rifle to watch their surroundings from the sheltered balcony, Rin Takashi recalled. The other private, Oumura, was ordered to hold position at the bottom of the stairs.

Rika lit a cigarette. "So, what's the situation," she said handing Takashi her pack and lighter. Understanding, Takashi lit one and puffed it, thanking god he didn't cough as he exhaled. The idea here was to present Takashi in a more mature manner. Kids didn't get a lot of respect as he well knew.

Yukio grunted. "Not good. From what intel we can get, the world is pretty fucked. Most places only one in six are still living. The states were hit pretty hard, but the gun-loving states are still holding strong, and even most of the government is still functioning. There are isolated safe zones there. China and Russia went dark, along with north and South Korea. No word from the mid-east for the most part. Israel is still good. Hard to tell, information we get is pretty broken up."

Rika nodded. "How about here in Japan," she asked.

Yukio shook her head. "In well populated areas, because of the nation's weapon laws, it's predicted there are only about one-in twenty living. The remote areas about three-in-five."

Takashi shook his head. "That's disturbing. Are there any remote areas, that can be considered relatively safe," he asked.

Yukio eyed him appreciatively at that. "We're still looking into that. There are some safe places, in the higher elevations. The problem is, there's no a lot of foodstuffs there to support a populous. We're currently looking into some farming areas with some rough surrounding terrain," she admitted.

Takashi nodded. "Can't live off instant Ramen forever."

Reed shook his head. "So, basically, we're still fucked."

Yukio nodded sagely.

Savita shook her head. "Moreover, Shintoko still stands. A concentrated group of fanatics have formed some kind of cult there. No real reasoning behind it. They're well stocked, and are holding prisoner policemen and SDF officers they captured during the riots there."

Reed nodded. "I was there. Just barely got out, and they were shooting anyone who tried to escape. I've some contacts that say, some smaller factions broke off from the original Shintoko group, and are roving gangs that have some sort of trade agreement with the Shintoko group."

Rika shook her head. "So things are looking bleak."

Takashi extinguished his cigarettes. "Guess the only choice, for now, is to dig in."

Reed nodded, pulling out a container the size of small shoe-box that had been attached to the back of his vest. "We had some fresh food today. Brought some leftovers," Reed said offering it to them.

Yukio nodded, accepting it and opening it. "Spanish."

Savita eyed it carefully being jewish. "Pork," she asked.

"Chicken," Reed replied.

Savita looked relieved.

Reed nodded to Rika and Takashi. "We'll hold positions while you chow," he suggested.

Yukio looked apprehensive for a moment.

"Reed Maclelland would not trick us," Savita replied simply. "He served with my father, who said he was an honorable man."

Yukio nodded her agreement.

Rika moved out to take position from the other sniper, who disliked her, and Takashi and Reed made their way downstairs and relieved Oumura.

"What do you think," Takashi asked.

"We're in the wrong country," Reed replied simply.

"I think I can agree with that," Takashi laughed.

"They seem like a good unit. Only one rookie among them, the boy. Seems like the world is becoming female heavy," Reed said.

"I mentioned that to Rika. Most of the survivors we see are female. The proportions seems wrong," Takashi admitted to Reed.

Takashi saw reed place his hand to his throat to enact the special radios they were wearing. Reed had explained to Takashi, that the radios jumbled the messages on a certain frequency, and then decoded them once received. They were expensive, and could be used by the criminals he used to work with without the police or SDF picking up on what they were doing. "What do you think," Takashi heard in his earpiece, not being able to hear Reed's voice regularly.

The radios, he had learned, picked up your vocal patterns rather than sound. You could speak in your quietest whisper, and you voice would come through clearly, albeit breathily.

There was a pause. "My guess is that they're a scouting team. Observation."

Reed nodded. "They're going to inquire of our position," he responded back into the radio. Evidently Reed didn't want to take a chance on them hearing. "I don't think it would behoove us to be grand central for a military force."

Takashi keyed up his mic. "I'm inclined to agree. Any time we meet with them should be on terms in a remote location. Too many people walk through the trees, it makes a path."

Reed nodded at Takashi and clapped his shoulder gently in a sign of approval.

"I agree," came Rika's response. "They'll be nice to trade with if we come short of something."

Reed grunted back into the mic. As far as Takashi could tell he thought they could do fine by themselves.

Ourmura back back down the stairs a few minutes later. "Grub was great," he said smiling. "I really appreciate it."

Reed nodded. "Find another line of work, kid. This don't suit you."

Oumura shrugged. "Not much left."

Takashi laughed. "Farming will be popular, again, or so I hear."

Oumura looked put off. "I became a soldier to get away from farming," he said sadly.

Reed placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're a kind kid. Eventually, you're going to be killing your own countrymen, and not because they're dead. Don't let it get to you."

Ourmura nodded sadly. "I understand."

Reed and Takashi began to make their way back up the stairs.

Settling back down to their ease, Rika, Reed, and Takashi faced off the two women before them.

"It would be best if we escorted you back to your safe house," Yukio said.

"Nah," Reed replied.

Yukio's eyes took on a firm cast. "I wasn't asking."

Reed lit a cigarette casually taking a long puff, and Takashi could see the anger in the woman's eyes. "Nah," Reed replied again.

"And. Why. Not," Yukio replied struggling to keep her voice down.

"Cause. I. Said. So," Reed replied his voice calm and nonchalant.

Yukio's teeth gritted audibly.

"Make no mistake," Takashi said. "We don't have anything against you, but we've avoided detection only by being careful. Too many feet leave a path. You can contact us, and even relay the information to other on how to contact us. For trade, or if you need assistance."

"We won't be able to offer you weapons, or ammunition," Yukio said still upset.

"Ours is better than yours anyway," Reed commented.

Yukio, quick as lighting thrust her fist into Reed's face.

Takashi steeled himself not to move.

Reed began to laugh. "Feisty aren't you," he said as Yukio withdrew her hand, and Takashi saw her fingers limp and curled.

Reed opened his pack of cigarettes and lit another, and offered Yukio one, which she took, and struggled to light it with the hand she had hit Reed with, and succeded even with nerveless fingers.

Savita shook her head. "Mind your temper. You won't anger him. He's highly trained."

Yukio looked put off. "Fucking Americans," she said angrily.

Rika began to suggest ways to get hold of them, and they worked out some simple codes, which Rika wrote down on a notepad, as did Sativa.

"Sergeant, we've got a situation," Rin said kneeling down from the concrete balcony.

"Dead," Yukio asked picking up her rifle, which Takashi noticed was supressed, like their own.

"Negative. Faith," Rin replied.

Rika reached down to turn on her radio, then switched it to scan as it picked up a conversation.

"Sir, we've nearly arrived at where we think the SDF forces are meeting up," came a deep voice.

The voice that replied was a nasally whine. "Good. Eliminate them, we mustn't let the government continue-"

Rika cut off the radio. "That's nice to know," she said smiling wickedly.

Reed's own smile was chilling even to Takashi.

"They're coming in a working vehicle, big truck," Rin said adding additional information.

"Rope," Reed said and Sativa offered him a long length, which he tied off and began to attach to small places on his gear, and taking something else from Sativa, which Takashi recognized as the device that allows you to give out slack when repelling. "Takashi, down with Oumura. You two hit em' on Rika's signal, after I've drawn their attention. Then withdraw. You all hit em' from up here, to keep their attention bouncing."

"Where are you gonna be," Yukio asked checking over her weapon.

"Amongst them," Reed said. "I need you rolling deep, again, love," Reed said as he pulled Rika close for a quick kiss.

Rika nodded, and took up position near the balcony, while Takashi headed downstairs.

"Trouble," he told Oumura. "Living trouble. Picked up radio shit. They want us dead."

Oumura nodded nervously, as Takashi let his rifle hang, and took his shotgun in hand. He figured that cannon would catch their eyes on him quickly. He thought, one good shot, and a follow up, before taking cover. "Just fire a few round, then duck back in with me. On my signal," Takashi said to the shaking soldier.

Oumura nodded as Takashi took position, carefully unlocking the door. And releasing the thumb safety on his Mossberg, it was pistol grip, with a short stock.

Reed took a deep breath near the balcony, the coil of rope in his hand, ready to be thrown over when he was ready. It'd been a while since he'd pulled some stupid shit like this, but he wanted everyone to leave alive.

Rika held up a small mirror and saw the truck stop at a corner a few blocks away, and people with guns disembark, both men and women, but for the most part, men. Rin had explained the "Faith of the People" were started by some anti-government elements, and blamed the whole thing on the military and government. She watched as they began to approach the tower from the front, fanning out some, but not surrounding it. "Their tactics suck," she said quietly, keying her mic.

Reed nodded to himself his position allowing him to have concealment but being able to see through the windows that were covered in glare for the enemies approaching. He switched his rifle to full-auto.

They were in position, now, and Reed grunted loudly, tossing the rope over the back of the round tower, and leapt off the back, feeding the slack quick at first, but loosening his grip on the feeder. As his feet made contact with the wall, he shouldered his rifle, and ran along the side, until he could target one of the attackers, and gently squeezed off a few suppressed rounds.

The attackers were surprised as their ally grunted, and began to fall, but even as he did, Reed had fired on another target, a few rounds into that one as well. Reed kicked himself further along the wall, feeling the tightness of the rope and exposing himself more and was able to take down two more targets with a careful spray of bullets.

The attackers noticed him then, and raised their weapons upward towards him, but Reed relaxed his legs, which allows him to swing towards the back of the tower, and he squeezed the feed device, and began to slide towards the bottom of the tower as gunfire hit the side of the tower, about teen feet above where he was.

"Now," came Rika's voice over the radio, and Takashi kicked the door open, his shot gun at his shoulder, and his bead on an armed man, looking up and firing on the tower. He squeezed the trigger, and the man screamed falling to the ground, as Takashi racked his next round home. His next target noticed him and called out pointing his weapon at Takashi, but Takashi sighted him quickly, and squeezed again, seeing the man's groin turn crimson with arterial spray, he ducked back to the concreete next to the door. Oumura stood there frozen, his face contorted.

Rika popped up over the balcony, along with Rin, Yukio, and Sativa, and they began to pelt their assailants with bullets. Several went down, but they weren't facing even odds, and still had about fifteen more to deal with.

"Down," Rika shouted as the attacker's weapons raised towards their position, and the other women took cover as well.

Takashi took his few moments to slide the two expended rounds into the tube on his shotgun, and he elbowed Oumura.

As his feet hit the ground, Reed cut the rope with his knife, and quickly sheathed it, and ran the last of the rope out of his built in harness. He hit the magazine-release on his rifle, and replaced it will a full one, even though he had only expended about half his ammunition. As he heard Rika shout, he began to move around to the side of the tower he had attacked from before, and found his first target in his ACOG scope, quickly squeezing his trigger, sending a few rounds into his, and was able to do this three more times before he was noticed, and leapt over the low wall that surrounded the tower, seeking cover.

Takashi swung around back in the doorway and found a target wit the bead of his shotgun, and fired, seeing the man's neck and face turn to gore, he racked another round into the chamber and swung back in.

Reed heard Takashi's next shotgun blast, and his cover wasn't being hit as hard. He laid on his side and began to roll towards the attackers, moving about fifteen feet away from his previous position, he brought himself to one knee and listened, his attackers, the intelligent ones, were focused in three different directions.

Chips of stone were still flying from his left where he had previously been, and Reed felt that old familiar smile on his face, again. He rose up, and saw shock on their faces where he wasn't where they expected him to be. He sighted by feel, now his weapon firing in small controlled bursts, as he mowed down two more, before falling back down, and reloading his rifle. He began to roll back to where he had been, and rose again, this time only being able to hit one, and hit the dirt again, falling further away form his targets.

Takashi heard the fire lighten on his position for a moment, and knew to stay put. They were waiting, watching, and it came as a bit of a suprise as Oumura swung out, a snarl on his face, until bullets began to pierce his body.

Takashi stood still for a moment as the fire stopped, then swung out, using the man's death, and the attacker's momentary triumph to his advantage, his shotgun quickly finding a target focused on Rika's position and tearing her to shreads, he rolled back in place.

Rika was not happy. Though she still heard shooting in other direction, most of the fire was being focused at their position. They were effectively pinned down, though she still heard Takashi's shotgun, and Reed's supressed rifle.

Yukio looked at her and shook her head. "We're pinned," she said as Rika moved along the balcony, to the side where there was little fire, and popped up, rifle to shoulder finding an attacker in her sights, she squeezed the trigger, his head exploding as gravity pulled her down.

Reed heard Takashi's shotgun once more, and he leapt up firing into the attackers, burning ammunition quickly. Accuracy wasn't important, just getting them down. He hit two attackers, one in the face, another in the arm, as he sprayed bullets laying down some covering fire.

It worked fairly well, those concentrating on Rika and Takashi hit the dirt, and then so did Reed.

Reed heard the shooting pause, let his rifle hang, and drew the pistol at his side, in a low stance, making his way to the corner, where they would be behind the low wall. As he got the corner, Reed hear Rika firing to keep them down, the other girls as well, and he leaned around the corner presenting his pistol and firing on the first he targeted, who fell forward, opening his sights to the next, and next. When they realized what was happening, they leapt up, without thinking, and were quickly cut down by Rika, and the girls upstairs, with even a shotgun blast from Takashi.

Reed, holstered his pistol and reloaded his rifle, and began to trot across the street, to make his way up to the truck, he placed his hand on the radio's toggle switch. "Get rid of the driver, love," he said hearing the excitement in his voice.

Reed watched as the truck started, but a small hole appeared in the window, and blood blossom against it. The passenger door opened up, and someone got out, throwing a weapon over the door, but Reed was faster, bringing his sights up, and placed three rounds into the assailant.

Reed began to move around and check the military style cargo vehicle, finidng it mostly empty, save for trash and the two bodies. The back was desolate, save for a couple ammunition boxes. He toggled the switch on his voice radio again, checking up and down the street. "All clear."

Takashi reloaded his shotgun, and re slung it over his pack, taking his rifle in hand. He knelt down and closed Oumura's eyes.

"What happened," Takashi heard Sativa say.

"He froze when it all began, and came out from cover at the wrong time. They cut him down," Takashi replied coolly.

Sativa nodded.

Reed came up to the door then. "That'll have drawn a lot of unwanted attention," he said glancing at the dead soldier. "Shit."

Sativa shrugged. "Takashi said he froze up, for a bit, then came out from cover at the wrong moment."

Reed nodded. "He was too green."

Sativa nodded. "It was the hesitation. When he decided to act, it was the wrong time. There's an ebb and flow to every fight. Those who feel it live, those who don't, die."

Takashi thought that sounded like bullshit, but he kept his own council.

Reed nodded at the stairs, and locked the door behind him, and they started to make their way upstairs.

"Where's Oumura," Yukio asked as they reached the top.

Sativa shook her head.

"Shit," Yukio said. "What the fuck are you," she said to Reed. "I saw some of that shit. You just appear and disappear."

Reed's smile sent chills down Takashi's spine. "The best," he replied simply.

The girls in front of that smile, save for Rika, wilted.

Takashi nearly lost control when he realized he'd been smiling in a similar way for a while, now.

Rika's smile was different, bit it fit as well, and Takashi worked to repress a shudder.

Takashi busied himself by squatting, and checking his weapons. Going over in his head, the smile had been there since he'd first pulled the trigger. At every person he'd killed today. It wasn't the joy of killing, it was the mastery of it all. The mastery of himself. His wound throbbed dully from the kick of the shotgun, but was distant. His shoulder was numb from the repeated blasts of magnum buckshot. He wiped his face and found some of Oumura's blood there. He'd survived, and knowing that he could brought that smile to his face. To walk the line of life and death...

Takashi shook his head, now understanding more of what Saeko had gone through, power over life and death, and the thrill of being there yourself.

"I'm going to do something with that truck," Reed said nodding at the soldiers around and taking his leave.

Rika nodded. "I'll watch your back from up here," she said moving out onto the balcony.

Takashi took out a rag and wiped his face of the blood, and folded it, beginning to wipe down his weapons as well.

"That guys is nuts," Rin said.

"No shit," Yukio said.

Savita harrumphed. "My father told me to be careful not to make an enemy of that man. He spoke of him fondly. In Israel, the unit he and my father were in came to be known as the 'Hand of Death'."

"I can believe it," Yukio said. "That woman was able to get off accurate shots under heavy fire."

"She's probably the top sniper in the SDF," Rin said. "I can't come close to her scores. She holds just about every record for long range rifle, save for the .50 cal., records."

Takashi finished his work and made his way down the stairs, where the door stood open, and held position on the stairs no longer wanting to hear the women talking. They'd killed a lot of people today, all of them. Given, they'd needed killing, but it shouldn't be this way.

Takashi laughed to himself, the world had been wrong for a long time, he'd just been to naive to see it until recently.

Rika smiled at all the backhanded comments.

"That fucking kid," Yukio said. "There' no few of em' dead riddled with buckshot. He was pulling off shots under fire, not taking a wound. It's like a vet stuffed into a kid's body."

Rika smiled at that. Takashi was a lot like Reed, just in a younger body.

"Sad about Oumura, though," Rin said. "He was one of the few 'good' guys."

"Yeah, but just 'good' got him killed in the end," Sativa said. "It's only the strong that will survive this."

"This is some sick natural-selection bullshit," Yukio replied.

Rika watched Reed turn the truck around, stuff a lit rag into the gas tank, and pull a brick from the clutch as it raced down the street towards an empty lot with a pit dug in it for some reason now unknown.

Soon, Rika saw it crash into the pit, and saw the billowing black smoke telling her the tanks had caught on fire.

Rika heard her earpiece toggle. "They thinking second thoughts about following us," Reed's voice squawked.

Rika reached up and keyed her mic. "Affirmative. They're a bit in awe of us. They're not real veterans," Rika answered.

The mic keyed up, again. "I don't think we'll be able to use this location anymore," Takashi added.

"True enough," came Reed's simple response. "You still hangin' in there, Takashi."

"A little upset," came the honest reply.

Rika keyed her mic. "You only did what you had to. No more, no less. Soldiers live, and wonder why."

There was a pause as Takashi thought on that. "I guess you're right about that. Doesn't mean I have to like killing people, right," he asked.

Reed keyed up next as he made his way back. "No. No one really likes it. But keep in mind, Takashi, every one of them we kill, is one that can't kill us, which is what they're set out to do. They're gangs, now. Any thing not with them, is against them. We can talk later, we need to get the fuck out of here. Large pack half a mile away!"

Rika turned to the other women. "You need to bug-out. There' a large pack on the way, drawn by the firefight," she said heading down the stairs and collecting Takashi, Reed already holding at the door.

The women of the SDF gathered up behind them. "We won't follow you," Yukio said.

Reed nodded. "That's good. I have enough blood on my hands for the day."

As night finally began to settle Brion sat on the porch chewing a scrap piece of leather, his sword across his lap, and rifle propped against the wall beside him.

The new found survivor, Miku, came out as well, and Brion nodded inwardly, appreciative of the fine form the girl had developed.

"They've been gone a while," Miku said questioningly.

Brion blew out a deep breath. "Nothing to worry about. They'll either all come back, or, Reed will, with a lot of blood on his hands."

Miku looked questioningly at the older man. "What do you mean," she asked.

Brion chewed on his piece of leather for a moment before answering. "Reed loves Rika. He's fond of Takashi, like a brother. If something happens to those two, he'll kill anyone involved with it. Then kill those who ordered it. He'll kill until he's tired of seeing blood. Then he'll come back. As long as Shizuka's still alive he has something left to live for."

Miku shook her head. "He must be a scary guy."

Brion nodded. "Dangerous, not scary, there's a difference. You can be scary, and not the least bit dangerous. You can't be dangerous without being fearsome. I'm sure they're fine, or Reed would have checked in, via radio, by now."

Miku huffed. "You could have told me that to begin with."

Brion laughed. "You could have just asked, right out."

Pouting, Miku sat down on the porch. "Ms. Shizuka asked me to watch for them, in case someone was hurt, and get her if they were."

Brion laughed. "I used to be a professional nurse as well," he said still snickering.

"Then why," Miku asked.

Brion nodded. "'Cause she's worried too."

Miku nodded thoughtfully, and thought she saw someone approaching. "I think I see them," she said.

Brion stood up, hung his sword at his hip, and picked up his rifle scoping it out. "That's them. All of them. Go tell Shizuka they appear to be fine."

Miku nodded making her way back into the house, Brion watching her swaying hips with his eyes. "Nice," he said to himself shrugging. Too young, though.

Slinging the rifle, Brion walked up and unlocked the gate. "Took you long enough," he said smirking.

"Was gettin' a little target practice," Reed said solemnly. "Shit's bad."

"Of course. You expected anything different," Brion retorted sneering.

"Not really," Reed laughed. "Story of my life. Takashi, you have the great honor of being the leader here, so you get to fill everyone in. I get to go upstairs and get some interesting places to have rope-burn treated."

Rika reached out and pinches Reed on the ass causing him to twitch. "This is gonna be fun," she said hungrily.

"Devil take you, woman," Reed said throwing an arm around her and making his way into the house, Rika in arm.

"God damn it," Takashi said huffing. "Figures. You in, Brion," he asked.

Brion smiled. "Be glad to hear the poor news."

The older man and the boy made their way into the house as well.

"So, we're screwed," Saya said blatantly.

"More or less," Takashi confirmed sipping his tea. Everyone else had already eaten, and he'd stuffed himself on leftovers as he relayed the events of the day, but Saeko had brewed a pot of tea for him, which Rei had brought to him.

"That's not good news," Kohta said shaking his head. "I'm just glad you all came out alright."

Takashi nodded. "I got some of the bastards, so did Rika and the other chicks from the SDF, but Reed took out most of em'. Went all ninja and shit. Repelled over the back of the tower and shot some on the way down, then kept popping up where they least expected him. The chicks from the SDF were all set on 'escorting' us home, until they saw him in action."

Tadashi laughed. "They were underestimating you. They knew Rika was trained well, and that Reed may be as well, but even the 'child', as I'm sure they saw you, performed as well, or better than they did. It broke their confidence. I agree with the three of you that went, it's not a good idea to have this house as a stomping ground for every SDF unit that passes through."

Kiriko laughed. "Soldiers are a rough lot, for the most part."

Miku nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it doesn't seem like it would be a good idea to have them lead someone unfriendly here, even if it's by mistake. The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Saeko laughed at that. "My father used to say that quite often."

Takashi shook his head. "Well, anyway, that's our situation. We've pretty much been forced to dig in at the moment. It's going to be rough, we're going to need to begin scavenging everyday, now. We've no few mouths to feed, and no few needs. More than that, we'll need to be ready to move out at any time."


	6. Chapter 6

Taking a long sip of his tea, Takashi relaxed somewhat. The tension he'd been carrying since the fight earlier that day still wouldn't release. It was like there was a tight band pulling at his shoulder-blades. "Saya, Kohta, could you two get a list of nutritional foods that will keep easily, and travel well," he asked.

Kohta nodded.

Saya grinned. "Leave it to me. Kohta, we'll definately some varieties of dried nuts, such as cashews, which contain..."

Takashi switched his attention to Alice, pulling at his sleeve. "What can I do," she asked sweetly.

Takashi smiled. "You're in charge of Zeke, remember. Aside from that, you'll need to be helping out with the food. That's an important job, you see. You know how to make trail mix, right," he asked smiling at the pink haired munchkin.

"Yes," Alice said brightly. "We used to make it when we went to the park."

Takashi nodded. "When we find some dried fruits, and some nuts, you'll be in charge of mixing them up, and bagging them, so everyone will have some."

Alice smiled. "Mrs. Miyamoto's been teaching me how to cook," the girl beamed.

Takashi nodded leaning over to whisper to the girl. "Good. At least there'll be someone who knows how to cook, then," he said with a wink.

Alice giggled, moving off to look after the yipping dog Zeke.

Takashi finished his tea, and sat staring into the bowl, his eyes glazing, remembering the feeling of Oumura's blood on his face, before only noticing when it had dried to his skin. The more he thought, the more he could feel the warm slickness of it as it ran down his face, neck, and hands as he fired the shotgun again and again.

Lost in his own thought's, Takashi felt something on his shoulder, and meant to brush it off, finding a soft hand, bringing him from his reverie.

"Takashi," Rei said concerned.

Both Rei and Saeko stood, one to each side of him, looking concerned. "Yeah," he said stiffly, not completely unlocked from the inner workings of his mind.

"You look tired. Your wound must be bothering you," Saeko said.

"We'll help you up to bed," Rei said. She and Saeko pulled him up, and began to gently tug him towards the bedroom he was sharing with them.

"Right," Takashi said nodding.

Once down the hall, and safely within the confines of the now locked room, they began to pull both weapons and clothing from Takashi. "You were sitting like that for half an hour," Rei said.

"I'm sorry," Takashi said hollowly.

"What happened," Saeko asked as she knelt to begin untying the boots he was wearing. He had tried himself, but it seemed like his fingers were numb, and working woodenly.

Takashi took a deep breath and began to relay the events that had happened in the tower.

The two girls were unwrapping his wound, as he finished relaying the story.

"So...you had to kill people today," Rei said sadly. "I'm sorry, Takashi."

Takashi nodded woodenly.

"It's not your fault, Takashi," Saeko said to him. "It's not like they were going to give you a choice. They were out to kill you."

Takashi shook his head. "It wasn't that I killed them that's... well... I don't know how it makes me feel. It was that it was just so...easy. You just move a finger, and someone can die. I think what's made me so upset...is that I enjoyed it," Takashi said hanging his head in shame.

Saeko looked at Rei, and the girls wrapped their arms around Takashi, causing him to choke out a sob, and they remained there, until soon, Takashi was crying quietly.

"What do we do," Rei mouthed to Saeko.

"I don't know," Saeko mouthed back.

They sat for a few long hours, holding Takashi, who cried, and sobbed until they could hear his throat become raw, tears of grief and frustration streaming down his face. The girls could only speculate that this, coupled with the recent loss of his mother was taking its toll on him, and all at once.

Finally his sobbing stopped, and his breathing became closer to becoming even. "You need a shower," Saeko suggested.

Takashi nodded, not being able to find his words.

Rei and Saeko led Takashi to the shower, where they removed his bandages, and he stepped inside, allowing the hot water to rinse over him, his tears drying, and he felt his heart harden.

The girls left him there, and moved back into the bedroom. "Do you think he'll be alright," Rei asked sitting on the bed.

Saeko shrugged. "He's just had to swallow a very bitter pill. I'm sure he'll be fine, but... I'm still worried."

Rei nodded. "The news about his mom must have hit him really hard. Harder than he let on," she said sadly. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if i lost my mom or dad."

Saeko nodded. "My father and I are close as well. It would really hurt to learn something ill had befallen him."

"But what do we do," Rei asked frustrated.

"I don't think we can do much, except be there for him when he needs us," Saeko suggested.

"That...that just sucks," Rei admitted.

Saeko nodded. "It does..." she said sitting down beside Rei and putting a comforting arm around her.

Rei leaned into her. "I only think he liked it, because those people were responsible for killing his mom," she said sadly.

Saeko gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Now that you mention it, that does make sense. I don't think Takashi is the kind of guy who would just go around killing people because he liked it. I don't even think he knows this himself, yet."

Rei nodded as there came a knock at the door. "It's Reed," came the rumble through the door.

Saeko nodded at Rei, and made for the door, unlocking it.

"How's he holding up," Reed said taking a single step into the room, and stopping.

Saeko sought Rei's eyes, and upon receiving the confirming nod, told Reed what had happened, and what he had said. "Do you know what's happening," Saeko asked.

Reed shrugged. "Nothing too complex. He got some payback for his mom, liked it, and is feeling guilty over it. It broke him a little. It'll heal, so to speak, but it will fill back in with toughness."

"What do we do about it," Rei asked the behemoth standing nervously inside their room.

Letting out a deep breath, Reed shook his head. "Not much that you can do for it. There's nothing he should feel the least bit guilty about. Don't look at him any differently than you did when he left earlier. Just smile, and support him. Don't prop him up, though, just steady him, if you catch my drift," the American finished in his accented Japanese.

Saeko nodded. "A little, I think. If we baby him, he'll fall to pieces. If we just continue, like he's no different or nothing's wrong, he'll piece it together himself."

Rei shook her head. "That's a bit difficult." The frustration clear in her voice and posture.

Reed let out a deep breath. "Sometimes, doing nothing, is the hardest thing to do. And the best option. If he continues to have trouble, come and get me. I won't be able to do much, but I can at least talk with him. I've killed in anger before. It's a difficult thing to live with."

Saeko patted the behemoth on his arm. "I understand," she said understanding in her voice.

Reed searched her eyes for a long moment. "I see you do."

Saeko nodded, as Reed abruptly turned and left leaving her and Rei still alone in the room.

"What did he mean," Rei asked Saeko.

Saeko sat back down on the bed, next to Rei. "Back before this all happened, I was attacked one night. I had my practice-sword, so I wasn't really in any danger...but I let it go too far, and I beat the man to death. The police said it was self-defense, simply wrote him off, and took me home...but I killed him. I killed him because he'd frightened me before I figured out I had the upper hand... he's right. It's a difficult thing to live with. All we can do is accept Takashi."

Rei hugged Saeko to her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, Saeko."

Kohta was sitting in the kitchen by himself, dismantling Reed's Beretta and cleaning it, when the man himself walked in, and sat down at the counter after pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Almost done with it. Not that dirty, but you did fire it some today." Kohta said shoving a wire brush up out of the barrel as is proper procedure when cleaning a pistol.

Reed nodded. "Yeah," he said hefting his rifle up onto the table, and Kohta was astonished as he removed the suppressor then dismantled the rifle with such speed and precision, it seemed to Kohta a machine was at work.

"At least everyone's okay..." Kohta trailed off questioningly.

"Takashi has taken a hit to his morale. Those people were part of the group that shot his mother. He killed today because there wasn't much of a choice, but he did it in anger. Rage, as you can guess, is laden heavily with guilt." Reed dismantled his supressor, and began to go over the inner chambers with a wire brush cleaning away the residue left by the flash of gunpowder.

Kohta paused for a moment. "I've never killed anyone who was..." He stopped being unable to speak anymore.

"I know. If you do it in anger, it's much the same result. Fuck, I've done it. I've enjoyed it. That's one hell of a power, life and death is. The best way to do it is coldly. Hold nothing but emptiness within. They just need to die. They're in your way. They're going to kill you unless you kill them first." Reed coughed as he finished cleaning the supressor and dried it thoroughly.

Kohta began to check the inner mechanisms of the disassembled Beretta in his hands, cleaning and oiling, and kept his thoughts to himself for several minutes. "How...how many people have you killed?"

The supressor reassembled, Reed began to the process of cleaning and oiling his rifle, his hands working mechanicly, his eyes going out of focus for a moment. "That's a little difficult to answer. I stopped counting when the number made me depressed some years ago. I couldn't give you an exact number... In the anti-terrorist unit we sometimes used heavy ordinance to soften them up. Less than three-hundred, more than one-hundred and fifty..."

Kohta blanched for a moment, dropping the gun's recoil spring before reclaiming it and placing it back beneath the barrel. "That's..." Kohta could find no words to express himself.

Reed began to shove a wired brush up the barrel of his rifle. "A lot. I know. Given, I have fired grenades into vehicles carrying troops, then emptied a magazine along with my fellows into the flames. I can't confirm. I've even been in on the covert operation of wiring an enemy base to blow. There is a lot of blood on my hands, but I can tell you this," Reed said meeting Kohta's eyes, "I have never killed anyone that I have regretted killing."

Kohta's numb fingers fumbled at the pistol as he thought it over. "Even when working for the Yakuza?"

Reed shrugged. "I was a specialty for the Yakuza. They called me in whenever one of them got out of hand, and was causing needless bloodshed."

Kohta nodded a bit heartened as he didn't want to paint the picture of this soldier he so looked up to in shades of black. "I understand."

Reed began to clean the bolt of his rifle. "Miku's father was Yakuza, did you know that?"

Kohta gasped. "No. What..."

Reed leaned over a bit. "You mother never told you how he died, did she?"

Miku stepped out of the hallway, surprising Kohta. Miku shook her head that she hadn't been told.

Reed indicated the seat next to Kohta. "Then sit. I'll tell you."

Miku crossed the space between herself and the seat cautiously. "I knew my dad was a gangster, but... No one told me what happened to him."

Reed shrugged. "Not too much to tell. He was good at his job. He kept legitimate businesses that were paying for protection, protected. He kept out drug-peddlers, junkies, and thieves. He kept the under-the-table businesses in his district separate. This made the legitimate businesses very happy, and willing to pay. His protection was better than the police's."

Miku looked surpised. "I didn't know any of that. Doesn't sound like he was a bad guy. He was a good father to me and all, but you just don't associate one of your parents with being a criminal." Miku got up and poured herself a steaming cup of the coffee that Reed was sipping on.

Kohta nodded. "Sounds like he was a smart guy. Legitimate businesses are more than good covers. If you keep them happy, they not only pay, but are happy to. You also don't have people calling the police about illegal activity if it's out of sight."

"Absolutely right," Reed said laughing. "But an up-and-coming hot-shot decided he was going to move in on your father's territory. He was from another clan. You father caught wind of it, and ruined the whole operation. Well... the upstart didn't take kindly to it, and had your father killed."

Miku took a long pull at her coffee. "I remember... What happened to the guy who had him killed?"

Reed's smile was wicked. "His name crossed my desk. I worked closely with your father on several occasions. He was a man to be admired. He was able to work both sides of the law in the community, rarely stirred anything up, and was still able to turn out a healthy profit. That made him quite a loss to the organization."

Miku wiped at her eyes. "What did you do..."

"They found pieces of him all over the city. You recall they called it the work of a madman on the news. He was dead before I cut him to pieces, bit it was still grisly work." Reed began to reassemble his now cleaned rifle, twisting the suppressor on the very last, and checked the mechanism to assure it worked.

Miku let out a deep breath, seeming to focus to Kohta's eyes. "Good."

Kohta placed a reassuring hand on Miku's shoulder briefly.

Miku nodded. "Your brother wanted me to tell you he's tired of watching Alice all day."

"Shit." Reed grunted as he stood up. "Do you think you can give him a few days break?"

"No." Miku laughed taking another sip of her coffee. "I'm not good with kids..."

Reed moved over and refilled his coffee cup, taking a long pull. "Speak of the devil, and he comes."

Brion walked out of the hallway smiling, though Kohta was less surprised this time. He was slowly growing used to Reed's instincts. The man seemed to be able to hear you breathe.

"She's really not that bad. She likes listening to history." Brion moved over and filled a glass with water from the tap, taking a long swallow.

Kohta laughed. "Alice is at that age where she wants to learn everything. It'd be nice of we could get her some history books to study."

Reed laughed. "World history and most medieval is pretty easy. Brion probably doesn't know too much about Japanese history, but for the most part he may as well have a degree in the shit."

Brion nodded. "She was really interested in the Roman Empire. I've been telling her a lot of it. Reed has a pretty extensive library, and we've both been reading. You've quite a collection of literature, bro."

Kohta laughed. "Yeah, Saya's been eating up some of your books. Though she's currently digging into some nutritional value books, trying to find the best supplies to get us through this."

Brion laughed. "This would be so much easier if we were still in the States. West Virginia especially. The mountainous terrain would be adverse to the DEAD walking around. They're not so agile, and we wouldn't have to seek too high an elevation to act as a perfect defense against them. Food would be less of a problem as well..."

Kohta looked at Brion questioningly. "Why is that?"

Brion nodded over to Reed. "He's got a green-thumb. Can grow just about anything. In the region we lived in, vegetables are easily accessible. I moved out of the city a few years ago, and onto an old farm. My nearest neighbor owns a greenhouse, and sells off vegetable plants and seed for a living. There's also plentiful game around that area, as well as livestock. Fresh food, coupled with the mountainous location would make it a perfect safe house."

Kohta nodded in agreement. "You said the SDF says the States are fairly stable. Especially the ones that were "Right-wing" nutjobs. "

"Yeah. The militias the ATF were always so pissed at seem to be sweeping some of the more rural areas. I really just think they're happy to be of use. Most of the Central government was hit hard, in D.C. it's illegal to own weapons, even though the supreme court ruled the city couldn't place restrictions on the 2nd amendment. Same in Chicago, New York, and L.A. But from what I understood the bigger cities were pretty much wiped-out. We'd need some kind of long-range plane to get there. A C-130 Herc would be nice, we could always Jerry-rig up a cargo-contained additional fuel tank to pretty much double the range. But I don't foresee that happening at the moment." Reed took a long sip of his coffee.

Brion huffed. "I know..."

"We're not getting home any time soon, bro. Just stow it." Reed laughed heartily at his older brother.

"Fuck you." Brion began to laugh as well.

Kohta joined in on the laughter finding it infectious. "Well, I guess when the military base on Okinawa gets back in contact with some form of government in the states it may be possible to hitch a ride."

Miku laughed as well. "I don't things will be politically much better there than it is here."

Reed grunted. "No, but we won't be sitting in the middle of a city, either. We'll be somewhat isolated, and able to care for ourselves. We're good on ammunition for the moment, but who knows how long we'll have to stretch it out. Back in the states the ammunition we're using is FAR more commonplace. As well as high-capacity handguns and rifles. I like your country and all, but they really fucked you here..."

Kohta nodded. "That they did. We really only made it as far as we did, though luck, and Rika's guns. I was able to visit a few gun-stores when I visited America, and even the smaller ones had enough weapons to earn you a few life-sentences in prison over here."

Miku whistled. "Yeah, but wouldn't they be picked clean by survivors?"

"Wishful thinking. Let's deal with the shit we've got, now, and worry about the rest later. Besides, I made sure Brion has a good stock of weaponry and ammunition." Reed set his now empty cup down and yawned.

"What are you, paranoid?" Miku asked laughing.

"Paid off, didn't it?" Reed turned and moved down the hallway, leaving the three alone.

"Guess so..." Miku trailed off at his back.

Brion laughed. "Nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst. No one wants to believe in the boogey-man, till he comes to call."

Miku turned to Brion. "Do you believe in the boogey-man, then?"

"Nope." Brion laughed and followed his brother down the hall.

Kohta watched Brion until the darkness enveloped him. "I think he was speaking metaphorically."

Miku nodded. "Those guys are...strange."

Kohta laughed. "They're Americans. Even their Japanese is clipped and strange."

"True enough." Miku took a sip of coffee.

"There you are." Saya yawned, stretching her arms upward. "Are you about done yet?"

Kohta slipped Reed's pistol back into its holster. "Just finished up. Have a good nap?"

"Too lonely. Weren't we supposed to help Reed out with some firearms maintenance and work?" Saya poured herself some coffee from the dregs of the pot, and set about making another round of the brew.

"Oh shit! That's right. He was going to start on some survival belts as well!" Kohta beamed.

"What's a survival belt?" Miku asked curiously.

Kohta turned to her. "A survival belt, is made out of something called '550 chord'. It's weaved from the very strong filament. It's the same thread they use in parachutes, and has a tensile strength of upward of 550 lbs. The belt is designed so you can unravel it in an emergency situation. You've basicaly got no few feet of workable rope on your person at all times."

Saya laughed. "It sounds like a paranoid person's invention, but it's much easier than carrying around some spare rope." Saya held up her wrist showing a weaved bracelet. "Kohta made me this one. It's got about twenty feet of the parachute cord on it. It's fairly easily unraveled in an emergency."

Miku nodded. "It makes sense. You can never tell what you need these days."

Kohta laughed. "I don't think we'll really need them, now, but if we have to leave the city, we'll want to be prepared for anything." He stood up and took Saya's hand. "We should get going."

"I should head to bed anyway," Miku said. She stood up and made her way down the hall, and Kohta heard her begin to climb the staircase.

"I'm glad she's doing okay." Kohta squeezed Saya's hand as they began to move down the hall towards the room at the back of the stairs.

"Yeah, she had a rough time of it. She seems tough though. I don't think she's going to crack so easily." Saya released Kohta's hand as he began moving down the staircase to Reed's workshop.

"I hope not. Just surviving is going to be tough. We'll need everyone working together." Kohta heard the pleasant tones of music wafting up at him, and he knew Reed was in his shop working. His Ipod was filled with mostly music from the states, but any music these days sounded good to Kohta.

As the two finally reached the bottom of the stairs they stopped to adjust to the new level of light, the stairs being darkened intentionally. Kohta knew the idea was that if someone was coming after Reed, they would be temporarily disoriented by the contrast of light. The staircase wasn't dark, just dim, but the shop at the bottom of the stairs was very bright. It was a workspace, and a lot of fine work went on there.

"Yo," Reed said setting down two spools of cord one black, the other light grey.

"Hey," Saya said cheerily. "Thanks for the loan of your library. I can see you actually LIKE to read. The books there are all wonderful, especially the classics you have. Where did you find them in actual leather-back?"

Reed laughed. "Well, it is my name after all. Just picked them up along the way. Here." Reed handed her a tome.

"The sniper manual," Saya asked.

"It was written by a Navy Seal. It's arguably one of the best practical manuals on modern sniping. It covers most of what you need to know." Reed yawned and twisted his head, causing the vertebrae in his neck to audibly pop. "We can't exactly send you to the Sniper's School in Britain, but this is a very good basis. I've watched you shoot, and Rika agrees, you seem to have a knack for some long-distance shooting."

Saya sat down on a stool and opened the book. Soon, she seemed to be under a spell, her eyes not leaving the printed pages.

"If anyone can learn something just from a book, it's Saya." Kohta laughed standing next to Reed watching his new found girlfriend as she began to devour the book.

"That will give her the basic understanding for it. Rika has been trained at the Sniper's School. She'll finish out most of what Saya doesn't get from the manual." Reed motion Kohta to follow him.

Kohta followed the hulking american into a guncage, where Reed kneeled and pulled out a pelican case. "She'll need something to more than a measly 5.56 to use. I've got an Mk-17, the 7.62 version of the ones we're using. I don't have another SSR, so it will have to be modified, but that's simple enough."

"Nice!" Kohta cleared the weapon Reed handed him, making sure it was unloaded and finding it a bit basic for a sniper rifle. The barrel was extended, but the stock was basic, unlike Rika's. "Do you have another stock like the one on Rika's?"

Reed nodded. "Yeah, but it will have to be somewhat modified. I can do all of that. Let's get you started on some of the survival belts. I really appreciate your help, though."

Kohta laughed. "I"m just going to be weaving some paracord."

Reed shook his head. "That's just one thing more I don't have to do. Frees up some time."

"I understand. Guess we are relying on you for a lot." Kohta said beginning to pull some cord from the spools. "How do you want these done?"

"A Solomon's weave would be great." Reed repled moving over to a cleared workbench and beginning to take down the rifle in hand.

"That's the three separate strands, right," Kohta asked.

"Yeah. Use one black in the middle strand, and two greys on the outside. Start at the buckle, and work your way to the end." Reed nodded over to a small pile of buckles, and weighted pieces of metal that must have been intended as tips. "The tips you'll secure em' to are weighted a bit."

Kohta began his work, clipping the three pieces of cord, securing them to the buckle in a lark's head, and began to slowly weave the belt. It was a slow-starting process, but he knew that as the further he got, the faster it would become, no longer having to pull so much excess cord through the loops.

"Reed, do you have any books on ballistics," Saya asked suddenly.

Reed paused momentarily in his work thinking. "Yes," he said moving over to a cabinet that contained some sort of tools and supplies. He came back and handed the very thick book to Saya. "I use it in my gunsmith process. Gives me an idea of where I stand at. The caliber you're looking for is commonly referred to as .308. Additionally a similar cartridge safe to fire in it is the 7.62 x 51mm. SAAMI considers it a safe alternative to the .308 Winchester round to fire in the weapon, though there are some very slight differences."

"Who's Sammy," Saya asked.

Kohta snickered causing Saya to glare at him. "Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, pronounced Sammy in its abbreviated form, is an association of American firearms and ammunition manufacturers. SAAMI publishes various industry standards related to the field, including fire code, ammunition and chamber specifications, and acceptable chamber pressure."

Saya began to snicker as well, finally finding her humor. "Okay, don't be so vague next time. Not everyone is a gun-nerd."

"The living ones are," Reed retorted.

"Touche," Saya replied accepting the book and beginning to flip through the pages. "So most ammunition is manufactured in the United States?"

"Not at all." Kohta pulled another weave tight, and began to loop more cord. "Ammunition is made all over the world. It's just that the American companies produce higher quality ammunition than most other countries. Non-corrosive and consistent. That's why it's so highly valued. Most other countries of the world have weapon restrictions, and there are even some in the U.S. despite what you hear."

Reed laughed, as he began the long process of properly marrying the suppressor to the barrel of the sniper rifle. Kohta could tell he knew what he was doing. If fitted incorrectly, a suppressor could effect the rifle's accuracy, and even cause malfunctions. "You can pretty much get about anything there, but you've got a lot of red-tape to go through. These suppressors aren't too hard to get a hold of, but the grenade-launcher on Rika's weapon would be incredibly hard to get...legally."

Saya pulled her nose from her book. "I see. So it's quality of ammunition versus cost. I'm guessing that sub-par ammunition manufactured in another company may be much cheaper in the short run, but reliability and consistency more than make up the difference."

Reed shrugged. "That's just for the ammo. The guns I've got you all using, rifles are German in make and the pistols are from an Italian company. You need to make sure you're working with quality equipment. You don't buy a cheap vehicle, and expect it to run like a Benz."

"I kind of like the Beretta though," Kohta admitted.

"They're fine, for what they are. Mine jammed on me in combat just today. Given, the malfunction came at a convenient time, the last shot I fired, but it was still a malfunction. I'd prefer we had glocks for pistols." Reed finished attaching the suppressor and checked over his work briefly. "They're ugly as sin, but they're more than combat accurate, and reliable. Kind of like a Kalashnikov."

"Isn't that the gun the terrorists use," Saya asked.

"Yeah, but they use them because they're cheap and reliable. They've been used since the end of WWII." Kohta pulled another section of the weave tight, and realized he was only about halfway done with the first piece. As the cords got shorter, his work moved faster, having to pull less and less slack with each knot he tied.

Reed set down the sniper rifle he was working on, and moved into his gun-cage, coming back out with an AK-47. "This is the Kalashnikov, this one is Russian, and illegal in America. It's fully auto, and fire a 7.62 x 39mm round. Mikhail Kalashnikov developed this weapon from the German Mp-43, allegedly after being wounded by one. He completed the slightly flawed design of the German assault weapon, and created this. This weapon is the most widely used firearm in the world. You really don't even need to clean them. In Viet-Nam, the American troops would pick some of these up out of the mud, break the rusted bolt loose, and it would still fire reliably."

Saya took the weapon from Reed and checked to make sure it was unloaded, bringing a smile to Kohta's face.

"Why aren't we using these," Saya asked.

"Well, getting hold of 7.62 supressors is quite an expensive process. I've only got three in total. The 5.56 suppressors are much cheaper, and it does the same job as these do, as long as shots are well placed. I've used the Kalashnikov, and on two different continents. It's also a deal heavier than our rifles. They would be just fine, if we didn't have to worry about drawing the DEAD to us." Reed took the rifle Saya had back, and returned it to its place.

"I see," Saya said. She picked her book back up browsing through it. "What are the upsides of using our current rifles?"

Kohta turned to Reed, hoping he could explain it better.

"Well, they operate in much the same fashion as the Kalashnikov. They're much lighter, and easier to handle. In testing, they fired well over fifteen-thousand rounds through them continuously without malfunction...and I thought they look like something out of a sci-fi movie." Reed began to attach the custom stock to the rifle on his work-bench.

Saya laughed heartily.

Kohta snickered as well, but was inclined to agree.

Reed adjusted the cheekpiece on the newly attached stock, and checked the sights. He then loaded up a magazine. "I'm going to check this. Be right back." Reed opened the heavy metal door to the underground range and sat the rifle on a bench inside. He stepped briefly back in to collect a scope, then closed the door behind him.

"I didn't know you could weave," Saya said playfully.

Kohta smiled. "Well, I used to have to help out my mom when I was a kid. I started looking up some fancy knot work on the internet, and made some belts for accessories to the clothing she designed. She called it 'retro', whatever that means."

"So your mom really is a fashion designer?" Saya raised her nose from her book peering at him over her glasses.

"Yeah. She drug me with her everywhere. I mean, seeing the sites in different countries was alright, but I ended up cooped in a hotel most of the time. Dad went with us on a trip to America, he was there to buy some precious stones. At least that's what he told mom. He checked us into a cheap motel in North Carolina, and I got to spend a month training at the Blackwater facility there." Kohta grinned.

"That was the best trip I'd ever had. We ate cheap fast-food, and I practiced at the range all day with my instructor while Dad sat back and smoked his funny-smelling pipe. Of course, it got cut short because Mom found out and practically stormed the place." Kohta laughed aloud.

Saya snickered. "I take it she didn't approve."

"Hell no." Kohta finished the last knot attaching the tip to the now finished belt. "But, Dad saved me from having to go to Milan that year."

"How'd he do that," Saya asked.

"He told me to start paying a lot attention to the models, which wasn't that difficult. When Mom caught me ogling the models, she freaked. I guess she finally realized I was growing up. Anyway, after that, I was allowed to go with my Dad some. Although she never would allow me to go to Amsterdam with him. 'Too much vice,' is what she always said." Kohta got up and began to unwind some more of the parachute cord.

Saya shook her head. "I'd better not catch you ogling anyone else," Saya said feigning indignation.

Kohta turned his head, running his eyes up and down Saya. "Anyone at all, or anyone other than you?"

Saya's cheeks heated. "Idiot."

Kohta grinned. "Anyway, how's your book?"

Saya lifted it up. "Informative. I don't really understand some of these terms. And there's not exactly a glossary."

"Like what," Kohta asked. He took the new strands of cord and began to secure them to a buckle.

"What's this 'apricot' they keep referring to," Saya asked incredulously.

"Oh! That's what's commonly referred to as the medulla oblongata. It's the part of the brain snipers aim for for an instant kill. The bullet passing through there causes a nervless reaction. There's also been some argument that the shot severs a vertebrae in the top of the spinal cord and that's what causes it, but it's kind of hard to tell. Not like they can test for things like that." Kohta pulled more slack through a loop as he heard the very quiet pop through small crack of the door Reed was shooting behind.

"Right. Bullet in the brain pan goes squish. I get that now. But it doesn't really matter with THEM." Saya said flipping a page.

Kohta paused briefly. "We're not just up against THEM anymore..."

Saya sighed. "Yeah, I guess I need to come to terms with it. You're the best shot I know of, why aren't you boning up on being a sniper?"

Kohta snickered to himself. "Honestly, I'm pretty good, but my aim gets pretty shaky If i'm shoot more than a few-hundred meters. I just don't have the kind of mindset it takes to be a sniper. I mean, the best I could do, even in training, was shooting out at four-hundred meters. That's a quarter of mile, and an impressive shot, but most snipers can shoot better at nearly a mile than I can at a quarter of the distance. There are just too many variables to consider and I tend to leave something out."

"Like the direction of the wind or the drop of the bullet," Saya asked.

"Well, the wind is a big factor. But you also have to consider what you're shooting with. Bullet drop and compensation are some of my weak points. I can't do the math in my head, but you should be really good at that. You're a genius," Kohta finished admiringly.

Saya grinned. "I see what you mean. So, you'll be my spotter then?"

Kohta turned around grinning. "Of course."

Saya grinned. "Good. Now, get back to work you lazy idiot."

Kohta saluted and fully invested himself in his weaving, and Saya in her reading.

After several minutes Kohta heard the soft pop of the supressed rifle.

"What's he doing," Saya asked.

"He's zeroing your rifle."

"What's that mean," Saya asked.

"Well, he's giving it a basic point of aim. Depending on the cartridge, and the shortness of the range, he'll probably zero it for about one-hundred meters. But, as I'm sure you know, bullets fire in an arc. Meaning that at the distance of the range, the bullet will be shooting slightly high at closer ranges." Kohta pulled a knot tight. "I'm guesing. He zero'd my rifle in, but my rifle is a different caliber."

Saya nodded. "I see. But is there really that much difference in the caliber of our weapons? They look a lot alike."

"Well, yeah. Yours is way more powerful of a round. The 5.56 cartridge has taken flack for being underpowered, but as long as your aim is true, it's quite lethal. It's smaller, yes, but still carries very good velocity, but with a lower round weight. Your round is faster, larger, and heavier. But the fact it's heavier gives it a better long-range trajectory, as things like wind effect it less." Kohta shrugged his shoulder having been at his work for a while.

"Right. But wouldn't that mean yours has less recoil?"

Kohta turned around beaming with pride. "You learn really fast. Yeah, it has substantially less recoil, and it's considered a closer range cartride. You're able to follow up shots fairly quickly. But your rifle's stock is 'shock-absorbing. So in position, you can accurately fire quickly once you get used to it. It'll still have some buck to it, but it won't be horrible. You can always sling your rifle while we're moving, and focus on close range with your pistol. You're really good with it."

"I'd been considering that. With the longer barrel, stock, and suppressor attached, it looked a little intimidating to be carrying around." Saya shook her head.

"That's perfectly understandable. Especially since you only started shooting recently as well. Nothing to be ashamed of. It takes time to get used to these things. I'm still a little awkward with guns. Sometimes I feel a little silly carrying around a select-fire assault-rifle." Kohta laughed scratching his neck.

"You shouldn't. That serious look you get when you're shooting is really handsome." Saya blushed.

Kohta blushed as well, finding no words to reply.

"Kohta, get Saya acclimated to this thing," Reed called out opening the door.

Kohta snapped to his feet. "Yes, sir."

"I'm not in the military, don't call me sir," Reed said, half amused half disgusted.

Saya laughed. "Right, Kohta dear, don't call the old man, sir."

Reed looked perplexed.

"What's wrong," Saya asked.

"I never thought I'd live long enough to be called 'old'..."

Kohta laughed nervously. "Come on, Saya. Let's get it adjusted for you."

Reed moved over and took out a strange pistol from a drawer and began to look at it intently.

"What's that," Kohta asked.

"Nunya," Reed replied, something dangling out of his shirt.

"What's that," Saya asked. She was pointing the strange handle on a chain around Reed's neck.

"Oh. My father gave me this neck-knife shortly before he died. I've carried it ever since." Reed said slipping the blade from it's plactic sheath. It was heavily pointed, with a short razor-sharp blade.

"That's nice! Say, Reed, do you have any additional melee weapons," Kohta asked.

"Why would we need those?" Saya tapped her foot impatiently.

Reed nodded. "Yeah, I'll dig em' out. Just get that girl to her new gun before she kills you."

Kohta laughed nervously and did as he was told.

Kohta closed the door behind him, and paused scanning the floor and seeing only four spent rounds. "Wow..."

"What is it," Saya asked curiously.

Kohta pointed to the chair behind the table where the rifle sat. "He zero'd your rifle and only fired four times..."

Saya peered around. "Is that good?"

"Yeah," Kohta admitted. "He must have used a laser bore-site to get close, then just fine-tuned it."

Saya looked around on the table. "I don't see anything like that..."

Kohta gulped. "Anyway, let's get this gun adjusted for you. The stock customizes a lot to your length, and the cheek-piece does as well."

Saya sat down in the chair, raised the rifle, and began to adjust the length of the stock, which was set up for Reed, as well as the cheek-piece which was far too low for Saya.

Soon, Kohta could tell, Saya was comfortable with the settings on the weapon.

"Now," Kohta began to explain, "the scope has a built-in peep-site. Just in case the glass gets broken. These knobs here control elevation, which you can use as compensation for bullet-drop, but Rika would be better for teaching you those. Let's just see how you do."

Saya nodded, and leaned over the gun on the table, steadying herself and taking aim. She sat back up. "It feels comfortable. Can I try a few rounds?"

Kohta nodded. "Sure, I'll set you up a target." He moved over and hit the return target button and soon the paper target was skimming back to him. Two shots inside the x-ring, and another. "Holy..."

"What," Saya asked.

Kohta showed her the target, and pointed out the holes.

"Guess he only hit it three times," Saya laughed.

Kohta pointed the the slight widening of the third hole, directly in the middle of the 'x'.

"Wow, that's good," Saya admitted.

Kohta shook his head. "I guess he really knows how to build a gun." He replaced the target and sent it back downrange.

Kohta stood back behind Saya as she loaded the magazine into the weapon, and chambered a round. "Ready when you are," he said smiling.

Taking careful aim, Saya pulled the trigger, and the target fluttered slightly. "The trigger's different."

Kohta looked at her curiously. "I guess he modified it. Or maybe just smoothed it. Is it uncomfortable?"

Saya shook her head. "No..it feels...good."

Kohta nodded. "He probably polished the parts of the trigger making it less...creepy."

Saya thought for a moment. "I understand. The term sounds strange, but right as well."

Kohta nodded. "Try some more."

After a few experimental rounds, Saya's pace began to pick up. She was getting used to the weapon, and was taking less time between shots.

As the weapon locked back Saya smiled at Kohta.

"Never have you been so hot as you are at this moment," Kohta told her.

Saya blushed slightly. "Well...the night is young."

Kohta leaned over and kissed her, his lips gently brushing hers. Then moved over and hit the button to return her target. He took it from the peg and showed it to her, a small group of holes, little bigger than his thumbnail about an inch over the 'x'.

"But I was holding right on the x..." Saya pouted.

"Remember, he zero'd your rifle for a further distance. It'll shoot a little high at a closer range. Here, let's try again," Kohta said returning the target back downrange, and began to reload the magazine.

"...I can't believe I forgot that..." Saya's face flushed in slight embarrassment.

"Really, it's no big deal. I see the recoil isn't bothering you." Kohta winked at her.

Surprised, Saya's face lit up. "Now that you mention it, it doesn't kick much worse than the other rifles. I guess the stock makes a big difference."

Kohta nodded and handed her a loaded magazine. "Remember, aim carefully, and just a little south."

Saya gave Kohta a thumbs up. "Gotcha. I'm going to cut the x out this time!"

Kohta sat in the chair behind the bench, Saya sitting across his lap, her head nuzzled in his neck. This 'cuddling' thing was really nice. When he was with Saya like this, it brought a closeness to them that even sex didn't, but only in some ways. He smiled to himself and hugged her tighter.

They had taken the privateness of the range and had simply taken a short time to themselves, nothing phsyical really need other than to be near one-another, the feeling of cohesion seeming mutual.

"We should really get back out," Saya suggested.

"I guess so." Kohta sighed heavily.

"We do have our own room," Saya reminded him. "There's no reason to sneak off down here."

Kohta giggled. "You're right, as usual."

Saya smiled. "Just don't ever forget that."

Saya collected her new weapon, checking to make sure it was unloaded, and they opened the heavy steel door that lead back into the workshop.

Reed was working hunched over a table, something in a vice, and he seemed to be engraving.

Saya's curiousity got the better of her first. "What are you working on?"

Reed raised the electric engraving tool, and blew his workpiece clean. "Sentimentality."

Kohta raised his eyebrow at Saya, and they moved over to look at what it was Reed was taking out of the vice.

To kohta, it looked like a cross between a broomhandle Mauser and a mini-14. "What IS that?"

"It's a PLR-22, made by Kel-Tec. It's a .22 long rifle pistol. Sort of. It's classified as a pistol. I added a shortened supressor, as the .22 isn't that loud to begin with, and a short adjustible stock." Reed wiped the sweat from his face.

Kohta looked at the behemoth sympathetically, as he understood. "You fixed this up for Alice..."

Saya gasped slightly, everyone had learned about Reed and children with guns.

"Yeah...there's even a small sling to go with it. I'm not so stupid as to believe children, especially with the shit going on now, don't need to defend themselves. So I fixed this up." Reed's legs shook.

Kohta patted him on the shoulder trying to comfort the shaken American. "I understand. Thanks, Reed."

Reed nodded. "I don't think I can manage to teach her to use it. That's up to you. She needs to understand not to be shooting it unless you're with her, understand? And if we have to move, she doesn't even load it unless someone tells her to."

Kohta agreed with a sigh. It was a sad thing, but he understood it completely. Even though it made him sick to his stomach, Reed wouldn't have a child's death on his conscience simply because he didn't like the idea of her carrying something to defend herself. "It must have been tough for you."

Reed shrugged. "Life, my friend, is full of tough bitter things. What makes us strong, is swallowing them, and moving forward." Reed moved off to the stairs.

"What's engraved on the side of it," Saya asked.

Reed paused at the base of the stairs. "Stupid joke. It's engraved 'wonderland'. Alice and wonderland." Reed's laugh was half amused half bitter as Kohta heard him ascend the stairs.

Saya looked at Kohta. "Is it really necessary for her to have this?"

Kohta shrugged. "I don't know. But what if she got separated from us? What if she couldn't get away from some of the DEAD?"

Saya hugged Kohta, seeking reassurance. "I see your point. We don't have to like it, though, do we?"

Kohta wrapped his arms around the only girl in the world he wanted to. "The world we knew is gone. We just have to make our way as best we can through this one."

Rika awoke. Shizuka lying in her arms the sniper yawned widely, and began to unentangle herself from the buxom nurse. That finsihed, Rika stood up and wrapped a blanket around herself feeling a bit chilled.

"That's odd." Rika noticed the window of the third floor room they shared with Reed stood wide open. She moved over intending to close it, when she noticed someone sitting on the roof outside.

"Where did I go wrong, Dad?"

Rika finsihed blinking the sleep from her eyes in suprise. Reed was sitting on the roof outside. Wearing combat fatigues, a tactical vest with no shirt beneath it, and fully armed.

"I tried to do like you did. I tried everything. I thought standing for my country would mean something, but it didn't. I gave this cesspool of a world my all. When my country failed me, I left. I stood in Israel with men and women of like mind, standing against what I thought was tyranny. After the Mid-east I went into Africa as a mercenary on a peacekeeping mission. I thought I was finally standing for something..."

Rika's eyes began to form tears as she remembered all that had happened in Africa. She had been under Reed's command there. So much had happened. Even though she'd met him long before that, that was when they'd truly come together.

"Rika... what's going on," Shizuka asked. She was standing by Rika now, though still nude.

Rika placed a finger over her lips indicated she should stay silent and draped her blanket over Shizuka as they huddled by the open window.

"I was shot three times in service to my country, Dad. I lost some of the depth perception in my left eye from some shrapnel of an I.E.D. some psycho had strapped to a fuckin' kid. In Israel, my whole team was irradiated. I was instantly sterilized and I spent two weeks in a hospital bed recovering form the radiation burns. Two men on my team weren't so fortunate, and died of shock. After that, I and the commander of the unit led more than a dozen assaults against terrorist organizations. We gave no quarter and no mercy. Men begged for God to spare them from me and I killed them anyway." Reed lifted up a large green bottle and took several long swallows.

Shizuka wrapped her arms around Rika. Rika could feel the tears falling from her own face. Reed had just done something he'd regretted. He'd lost his faith long ago, but spoke instead to his deceased father for comfort instead of 'putting his faith into something everyone's afraid exists.'

"In Africa, I was mauled by a Lion. Rika was able to shoot it off of me, but that was the first time I really came close to death. At least that I recall. It had me. I buried my tomohawk into it's face and my knife into its throat. I was sure I was going to die, when Rika shot it cleanly through the heart and it fell dead right on top of me." Reed laughed bitterly and finished off his bottle of booze, unceremoniously tossing it out over the wall surrounding his home.

"I saw both women I loved raped, I killed several children, and I killed half a dozen of my own men. You once said you could never have served as a policeman without god in your life. We used to be mirror images of one-another. But I couldn't serve anywhere and keep God. Were we really that different? Are you ashamed of what I've done?" Reed hung his head and sat his rifle down next to him.

Rika felt Shizuka wipe at her eyes. She turned toward the buxom blonde and silently thanked her with a nod.

"I made a gun for a little girl today, Dad. That's how fucked up this world is, now. No matter what I tried, I don't think it's a better place for my having passed through it. I think I just made everything worse. I didn't make her a gun because she wanted to hunt something, or just go shooting for fun. I made it because I thought she may have need of it... I'm living in times where it's necessary to arm children for their own safety..."

Rika could hear Reed softly sobbing now. She wanted to go to him, but knew it best to just stay where she was. He was working through something and needed to come to the answer on his own. He needed to let it out. The only person he could ever do that to was his father. He loved Shizuka and herself more than he could probably imagine, but the only person he could ever really speak to when something was bothering him had been his father.

Rika wrapped her arm around Shizuka, pulling her tightly to herself. She couldn't see his face, just his back, but she knew his hand would be wrapped tightly around the knife sheathed on his neck.

"Dad, I need you to be with me. Help me find the strength to keep going. Watch over Rika, Shizuka, and the kids with me. I'm not worth saving, but they are. I think you're somewhere happy, now. Some place that's safe. Tell Mom I miss her, and take care of the dogs for me. Watch over Siss, since I'm on the other side of the world. J.J. and Alex are still young, so they'll need your help too." Reed gasped for air, each breath seeming labored.

Shizuka was clinging tightly now to Rika as well. This was hard for them both. They both wanted to go and comfort him, but he was letting off steam, now and very drunk. He was letting out all of the things he'd been burying for so long now and they dared not stop the process.

Rika knew that Reed had really thought that perhaps his two nephews and his sister may really be dead. And that was just another log on the fire. This was something that had been building up for years.

"What have I become, Dad?"

Rika felt Shizuka tense up, but she was able to hush her before the blonde called out.

"...I'm me. I guess I haven't changed much at all. I'm still walking point. You always bitched at me for that. I've made up my mind to help out the kids. My path's been set. I have the skill to guide them, but do I have the strength to walk it with them. They're no longer living in their world, they're living in mine. Do you think my life was just leading up to this moment, or was I just in the right place to help them?"

Rika smiled. Even broken as he was, the man still held out hope. He was placing his hope for the future in the hands of a rag-tag band of derelict teenagers. She looked to Shizuka who was smiling as well.

"I told you they're special kids," Shizuka whispered.

Rika nodded.

"Yes, and as always, you say it far too loudly. Just making you voice breathy doesn't decrease the volume, Shizuka," Reed said.

Rika felt like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie-jar momentarily before recovering. "We just got here," she lied.

Reed stood up collecting his rifle and hopping back through the window before closing it behind him. "Don't kid me. I've known you for a decade, Rika."

Rika tried, but she couldn't help but smiling. "You're just drunk."

"Yes, I am. Quite. But Shizuka's boobs have a zip-code unto themselves. Yours combined, have their own field of gravity. I thought I was going to get sucked back through the window at times." Reed laughed as he set his rifle down in the corner behind the door, and began to peel off his other weapons and ammunition.

Shizuka pressed her breasts together to create as much cleavege as possible. "But i thought you liked them..."

"That's an entirely different conversation." Reed stretched his shoulders out.

Shizuka huffed, looking put off.

"Cleaning out the closet," Rika asked.

Reed nodded. "It's been building. I did come to a conclusion, though."

Rika raised her eyebrow.

Shizuka looked suprised. "And what would that be," Shizuka asked sweetly.

"Ha! An old Maclelland quote. 'If you're going to be stupid, you'd best be equally tough.' Dad's favorite." Reed laughed heartily. "I should really be bulletproof by now."

Rika took heart in the fact Reed's eyes were clear of doubt. It had been quite some time since she'd seen them so. "I'm glad to see you're back to you, love."

Reed smiled at her, as he unbuckled his boots. "Good to see you still snore."

Rika felt her eye twitch. "I do not snore."

Shizuka joined in on the jibe. She grabbed Rika's ample bosom. "You sleep on your back with these squashing your chest. It's a wonder you can breathe at all."

"You're really one to talk there, Shizuka..." Reed pulled his feet from his boots laughing.

"What do you mean?" Shizuka felt at her own chest. "I sleep on my side so I can breathe properly."

"You do not. You sleep on Rika's chest half the time. That's why she snores." Reed yawned. "I'm going to make a quick check on the kids, then catch a few hours sleep."

Shizuka threw her arms around Reed playfully. "Come back soon..."

Reed cleared his throat. "I do have to sleep at some point..." He began trying to disentangle himself from Shizuka gently, but that was no easy task.

Rika was caught up in the mood, and leapt onto Reed's back biting his neck.

"God damn it," Reed said in English.

Shizuka laughed. "I still forget sometimes Japanese isn't your first language."

"More like his third." Rika said around a mouthful of Reed's neck.

"Fuck. Will you two at least let me check on Takashi? I've got some more work to do before everyone else gets up in the morning and I'm drunk to boot." Reed spoke now back in his clipped awkward Japanese.

Rika bit Reed's ear roughly, before sliding down off his back, and Shizuka slid her hand out of Reed's pants.

"Fine," Rika said smiling. "Just don't expect to get much sleep. We hadn't seen you in two years. Don't think you're going to get a restful night for some time..."

Shizuka nodded. "He's been amorous anyway. I don't think he's slept with anyone in some time."

Rika smiled wickedly. "When was the last time you had sex, before we showed back up, Reed."

Reed thought it over for a moment searching his memory. "Two years."

"But that's when you up and disappeared..." Shizuka trailed off.

Reed smiled as he slipped out the door.

Takashi sat in the kitchen, speaking with Rei's father. He'd come to understand a little more about what had happened earlier that day. Well... from the time more like yesterday, as it was just a few hours until dawn, now.

"I still don't think you did anything wrong, son. You did the best you could in a bad situation." Tadashi said puffing on a cigarette deeply offering one to Takashi.

Takashi accepted one and lit it, exhaling the smoke and sitting for a moment. "I understand it, now. Those were some of the guys involved in killing my Mom. I guess I was more upset about it than I had thought. Just kind of hit me all at once, ya' know."

Tadashi nodded taking a long pull of coffee. "Reed would tell you the same thing. I've seen it happen with some police officers in shootouts before, as well. Their close friend will be wounded or killed, and then they feel guilty after dispatching the culprit. It's more like survivor's guilt in their case."

"It's all the same shit different day." Reed came out of the hall wearing a pair of tactical pants and nothing else. He moved over and poured himself a cup of coffee and was greeted by Tadashi, who handed him a lit cigarette. Reed accepted it graciously and took a long puff sitting down at the table. "The old farts are gathered now. Time for you to get the old farts' lecture."

Tadashi laughed.

Takashi was a bit confused. "What do you mean?"

Reed shook his head. "It was a bad joke. Tadashi hit the nail on the head for the most part. You killed someone today. Liked it a little, didn't you?"

Takashi took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah..."

Reed shrugged. "Honestly, they needed killing. They meant to kill us all back there. But don't make a habit of enjoying. One, you'll turn into a monster. Or two, you'll get all fuckin' emo about it."

Takashi laughed at that, his humor returning somewhat. "I get it." Takashi took a long drag from his cigarette expelling the smoke. He'd let most of it burn up before taking a second puff.

Tadashi clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "Atta boy," Tadashi said in English.

Reed laughed. "The best way to do it, is to view it from a secluded place. Don't hold anything in your heart. It's called 'impassiveness'. A lot of people in the military practice this without knowing it. A CNN reporter once asked what a Marine sniper felt when he shot a terrorist."

Takashi's interest was peaked. "What did he say?"

"The Marine replied simply 'recoil.' Well, needless to say that's not the answer the press were looking for, so they didn't air the interview, but I was in the service then, and heard about it. Made for some good laughs." Reed took a long pull of coffee.

"So how do you manage your feelings in combat?" Takashi felt a bit uncomfortable.

"You did it well enough today. It wasn't until we got back you really thought about it. The key is to just leave it all out there, Takashi. You don't bring this shit home with you, or you end up like me." Reed yawned briefly.

Takashi nodded. "But you seem to be okay."

Reed glanced at Tadashi, and the older man nodded. "Not really. You see, I can't rest at ease. It's sad to say, but this world wrought with chaos is my kind of world. It feels silly to be paranoid over every little sound in times of peace, checking each one out as if it may be an enemy. So, to feel normal again, I threw myself into every combat-zone I could find. It doesn't feel foolish if you know someone's out to get you."

Takashi allowed that to sit on his mind for a few minutes.

Tadashi lit another cigarette. "Can I get some more of these tomorrow?"

Reed looked the cigarette pack. "Sure. Just go easier on the next carton. I'll try and grab some extras. Rika's been hittin' em' hard as well."

Takashi took a deep breath. "So I live in two separate worlds, now?"

Reed smiled. "Exactly. You leave the Takashi that can relax, the normal one, right here. You leave the gunman out on the battlefield. You must be ready to switch between the two at a moment's notice. But that's about the best advice I can really give you. I'm sorry, but that's my extent of expertise."

Takashi nodded. "Yeah, I really don't want to feel that stuff again. It really upset the girls..." Takashi trailed off remembering he was in a relationship with Tadashi's daughter AND another girl...

Tadashi clapped Takashi on the shoulder. "I remember what it's like to be young, Takashi. And my Kiriko used to like women as much as I did. As long as Rei's happy it's none of my business." His eyes turned cold briefly. "But if you hurt her..." He allowed the threat to trail deliberately, and Takashi knew that his own imagination would be far worse than any verbal threat.

"Yes, sir." Takashi took a long nervous pull of a coffee.

Reed snickered. "I need to get some additional gear for outings. You two wanna help?"

Takashi nodded.

"Nothing else to do," Tadashi replied.

"What do we need to work on," Takashi asked.

Getting up and walking down the hallway, Takashi and Tadashi in tow, Reed laughed. "We're short on good melee weapons. It makes sense for us to have something we can use that's completely quiet."

Tadashi laughed. "Got some spare machetes or something?"

"Why, yes I do." Reed led them up the staircase to the second floor, and turned to walk down the hall.

Takashi nodded. "It makes sense. Even the suppressed guns cause a bit of a ruckus, although the sound doesn't carry far, it still carries."

Leading them into a room and flipping on a light Reed nodded. He indicated the walls which were covered in various weapons. "Some of these are mine, and some of these were from the guy who used to own this place." Reed moved over and took down a few sheathed machetes in varying styles.

Takashi eyed the blades along the wall. "Did you set this up?"

Reed shook his head. "No, I added to it. A lot of it was already here. Evidently this fellow was quite eccentric."

Tadashi let out a low whistle. "There are some nice pieces here."

Reed thanked him, and took down some pieces from all around the room. "I don't think we need to get you all into swordsmanship, but a machete is pretty straight-forward. Everyone really needs to carry some of these things. If we can hit a outdoor outfitter later on, we can get some good kits for wilderness survival put together."

Takashi lifted a Gurkha style machete. "I see the use for them. Knives and axes have been pretty basic survival tools since mankind began, right."

Tadashi nodded watching Reed heap a small pile of weapons on an ornate table in the middle of the room. "Yes, and it's really not a bad idea. Especially if we have to move out of the city."

Reed yawned briefly before coughing. "Yeah, and it was Kohta who reminded me earlier. Kid's pretty sharp." Reed moved over to a draw and produced several different kind of tools for sharpening blades. "Most of them are good, but some may need hit a lick or two with a good stone."

Takashi lifted one up experimentally. "I've never had to sharpen anything with a stone before. Mom had one of those electric things for her kitchen knives..."

Tadashi began to tutor Takashi on how to properly sharpen and maintain an edge.

Takashi ate up the information. He found the stropping the blade with a stone was a comforting action. It was doing something that directly produced a result easily seen and useful. Just the act of doing something productive helped to make him feel better.

Reed coughed heavily for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Takashi set the blade and stone in his hands down.

Reed waved him off. "Yeah, just going to grab a drink of water."

Tadashi shook his head. "You don't need to do everything. I know how to hone an edge. Get some sleep."

Reed nodded graciously and left the room.


End file.
